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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National

Kiah church gutted south of Eden: Too late to leave Burragate, Towamba

A church in Kiah, south of Eden was destroyed in the Border fire which roared north in the southerly change on Saturday, January 4. Picture RFS.

The Far South Coast areas of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds came under attack from the Border fire on the evening of Saturday, January 4.

The RFS said the fire burned from the Victorian border to the southern shores of Twofold Bay.

The southern Bega Valley remains under threat on Sunday, January 6.

RFS says if you are in the areas of Burragate and Towamba, it is too late to leave. Seek shelter and protect yourself from the heat of the fire.

If you are in the areas of Wyndham, Rocky Hall, Nethercote, Eden and surrounds,monitor conditions and be ready to act.

Merimbula, Pambula and surrounds are not under any current threat.

READ MORE: LIVE blog of South Coast fires

The Kiah hall was gutted in the Border fire on January 4. Picture RFS.

RFS will use kinder weather to plan and aid recovery efforts.

"Aircraft support is ready to respond in the Wonboyn area as soon as conditions allow," RFS Inspector Kelwyn White said.

"The Princess Highway remains closed at Broadwater, Imlay Road is closed, Nethercote Road is closed to south bound traffic."

The Border fire was pushed into Kiah on the southerly change on January 4. Picture RFS.

BEMBOKA AND SURROUNDS: The Snowy Mountains Highway over the Brown Mountain remains closed to enable the repair power lines. Emergency services are working hard to reopen the road today. The highway is closed from the Princes Highway intersection, north of Bega, to the Bombala turnoff. The Werri Berri Fire north of Bemboka impacted the Snowy Mountains Highway near Mogilla Road yesterday afternoon. While the fire was downgraded to Watch and Act last night, this remains a very serious situation. If you are in the areas west of Bega between the Snowy Mountains Highway in the north and Candelo-Bega Road in the south, as well as the Desert Creek, Double Creek, Yankees Gap and Brogo areas, you must monitor conditions. Know what you will do if the fire threatens.

BERMAGUI AND SURROUNDS: Bermagui was not impacted by the Badja Forest Fire yesterday; the fire continues to spread in a north-westerly direction towards the Nutleys Creek and Lyrebird Ridge - Coolagolite areas. This remains a very dangerous fire. These fires pose a serious threat to life. The window of opportunity to leave is closed. Household water use in Bermagui remains a concern. Please be aware that unattended sprinklers and hoses are significantly drawing down on water reserves for firefighting. Roads into Bermagui remain closed from Akolele in the north to Mogareeka in the south. Fire agencies are working to determine the full extent of all three fires this morning. It has been difficult to build that picture because it is not safe to access the fire perimeter; low visibility and smoke have added to the difficulty. As soon as conditions ease, and visibility improves, the priority is to develop accurate mapping that shows the extent of the fire and assess the risk to the community.

This story Kiah church gutted south of Eden: Too late to leave Burragate, Towamba first appeared on Bega District News.
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