A fundraising effort has started for the Rural Fire Service.
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The monthly Sunday coffee and more at Dundurrabin, east of Armidale will raise funds for the Tyringham RFS Brigade. There will be great food - coffee, cakes and a variety of lunch options.
Tyringham resident and RFS member Shakti Mudra said the facilities at their Tyringham fire shed needed upgrading, and the RFS needed more equipment to fight fires in such dry conditions.
Tyringham and Dundurrabin communities will welcome everyone into their community as they begin to recover from the recent fire events.
The morning tea will be held at the Dundurrabin Community Centre, Armidale Rd, from 10am to 2pm on Sunday, October 13.
Businesses from around the region have generously donated more than $700 in prizes for a huge raffle.
There will also be information stalls including RFS for Bushfire plans, rural mental health support, and disaster relief information.
The sheer enormity of the blazes in Kingsgate and Bees Nest have shocked even experienced Rural Fire Service NSW superintendent Allyn Purkiss.
"There's a lot of dirty work to be done, we have to use thermal imaging cameras to find hot-spots and put them out before the crook weather comes on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday," Mr Purkiss said late last week.
"The fires are so big we just don't have enough volunteers to monitor all of the lines, all of the time.
"I haven't seen a fire at this scale, I was in charge of one around 2012, 2013 in this area that got to 87,000, but the Bees Nest fire on its own is over 100,000 hectares."
The Bees Nest Fire, which started with a lightning strike on August 30, has burnt 200,000 hectares on both sides of the Guy Fawkes Gorge, and is still being controlled. Its perimeter is more than 1800 kms.
On Friday, October 6, in extreme weather and wind conditions the fire spread towards Ebor in the south and through Marengo, Hernani and to Mt Hyland, then north through Glen Fernaigh, Tyringham, Dundurrabin and Billy's Creek.
The eastern flank of the fire affected Muldiva, Deervale, Bostobrick and Moonpar. On the western flank, it has gone as far as Wongwibinda and Ward's Mistake.
"It is still burning to the north and west through Chaelundi towards Glen Innes and Dalmorton," Ms Mudra said.
"This fire and the ongoing work to put in containment lines has devastated grazing properties and vast areas of native forest, world heritage rainforest, and all the birds and animals living in this bush.
"The Tyringham RFS and members of the local communities put in an extraordinary effort to keep people safe, protect properties, and put in containment lines to protect Tyringham, Dundurrabin and Billy's Creek.
"For over two weeks, we provided food for 150 to 200 firefighters from all over NSW, throughout the day and each night. Many thanks to all the people who baked and provided so much food. The firefighters said it was the best food they had ever had on the fire line."