Firefighters are using water-bombing aircraft and heavy machinery in attempt to control a bushfire that is burning in inaccessible terrain and is heading toward coastal villages north-east of Kempsey in New South Wales.
The Clybucca fire is burning across more than 1,100 hectares of coastal wetland between Stuarts Point and Fishermans Reach, and it is expected to double in size.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) Lower North Coast manager Superintendent Lachlan Ison said when the fire gets out of the wetland it may threaten many homes.
"The fire is in wetland which is environmentally pretty sensitive and it's also in a significant Aboriginal site so it really does limit the works we can do," he said.
"We do have to generally wait for the fire to come out to the higher ground, which at the same time is also the area where the properties and the assets are which we have to protect."
Already least a dozen homes along the Old Pacific Highway-Macleay Valley Way have come under threat
"There are a large number of properties in that area, and many more to the north and east, at the Fishermans Reach and Stuarts Point villages," Superintendent Ison said.
Around 700 people live in Stuarts Point and around 300 at Fishermans Reach.
Superintendent Ison said the fire on the eastern side was held by a large creek system.
"As we know when fire ends up in coastal peat country, or heath it can smoulder for weeks, until we get significant rain.
"We will be doing a fair bit of fire suppression with it in the next couple of days.
But it will potentially be one of those fire-grounds that we will have to monitor for several weeks
RFS Out Of Area strike-teams from Taree to Coffs Harbour have been helping with backburning and putting in bulldozer control lines.
The Bushfire Danger Period has been brought forward a month to September 1.
It typically comes into effect in October but from Friday anyone wanting to burn-off will need an RFS permit.
