Home Destroyed By Fire At Mallabula

 BY IAN CROUCH

Fire has destroyed a home at Mallabula overnight.

Several Fire and Rescue and RFS crews were called to Essendene Gardens at 5.00pm on Sunday, arriving to find the single level concrete and iron roof home well alight.

Newcastle Fire Command says there was no-one at home at the time.

Crews battled to stop the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes, with firefighting operations wrapping up just before 8.00pm.

Fire investigators will return to the scene on Monday morning to determine what sparked the blaze.

Crews Tackle Early Morning Bush Fire At Mallabula

 BY IAN CROUCH

Quick work by Rural Fire Service crews has stopped a bush fire from reaching homes at Mallabula early Wednesday.

Crews from Medowie, Tlligerry and Williamtown/Salt Ash were called to Fairlands Road at about 4.30am to find an area of bush at the Tilligerry Board Walk on fire.

They took about an hour to bring the blaze under control, with flame heights reaching 3 metres before it was finally extinguished at daybreak.

The fire burnt through about half a hectare.

Meanwhile firefighters have extinguished three grass fires which broke out off Settlers Boulevard at Chisholm at about 4.30pm on Tuesday.

Newcastle Fire Command says no properties were under threat.

The fire burnt through about a hectare before it was put out just before 6.00pm.

Crews from Medowie, Tilligery, and Willamtown/Salt Ash tackled the blaze at Mallabula. Picture: Medowie RFS

Woman Blows 7.5 Times Legal Limit After Crash At Mallabula

 BY IAN CROUCH

 A woman has a date in court next month accused of high range drink driving after crashing into a road sign at Mallubula.

Police say locals noticed the 35-year-old driving erratically yesterday (Monday 8 February, 2021) before she collided with a give-way sign at the corner of Lemon Tree Passage Road and Fairlands Road.

She kept driving to a nearby address where she was seen to fall out of the drivers seat onto the road after stopping her vehicle.

Police were called and submitted the woman to a roadside breath test which allegedly returned a reading of .370, more than 7 times the legal limit.

She was taken to Lemon Tree Passage Police Station later returned where it's alleged she returned a reading of .275 - 5.4 times over the limit.

The woman's licence was suspended and she'll face Raymond Terrace Local Court next month charged with high range drink driving.

Salt Ash Fire Update

BY IAN CROUCH

Conditions have eased overnight around Tanilba Bay, Lemon Tree Passage and Mallabula where a large bushfire threatened dozens of homes.

The fire has burnt through 1535 hectares and is currently listed at Advice level.

Crews have worked through the night to carry out tactical backburning along Lemon Tree Passage Road near Oyster Farm Road and Rutile Road near Tanilba Avenue. Backburning has also been carried out behind homes in Tilligerry Track, where more than 70 homes came under threat last night along with about a dozen homes and a caravan park in Oyster Farm Road. These backburning operations are continuing.

Lemon Tree Passage Road has been re-opened but motorists are advised to be aware of fire crews working in the area as well as smoke hazards.

There are currently 70 firefighters and 20 fire trucks from the RFS and Fire & Rescue NSW working on the fire ground. It's expected more resources will be tasked to the area throughout the day.

At the time of writing, (9.00am Sunday) air crews were completing their morning briefing prior to taking to the skies over the fire ground. Three waterbombing helicopters and a fixed-wind aircraft will support efforts on the ground to strengthen containment lines.

While the weather conditions are relatively calm at the moment, the RFS expects conditions to deteriorate as the day progresses. Currently, the winds are from the north-west and are gusting at times up to 40-50 kilometres per hour and the relative humidity is 40%. However, the winds are expected to pick up and swing around from the south-west during the morning and the forecast relative humidity is expected to drop to about 20% which will likely see the fire danger increase. A Very High Fire Danger is expected today ahead of continuing dry and windy conditions.

The RFS is advising residents to remain vigilant, continue to monitor the situation closely and take the advice of firefighters on the ground. Residents should also be prepared to initiate their Bushfire Survival Plan if the situation changes and, if they want to leave their homes, to do so early.

There are no reports of property damage, however a Building Impact Assessment Team is about to begin work.

Fire Lights Up The Night Sky Around Tanilba Bay. Picture: Port Stephens Examiner