A new bushfire burst out from the edge of the Orroral Valley fire in the ACT on Wednesday afternoon and across the NSW border into the Scabby Range Nature Reserve, 60 kilometres south-west of Canberra and 25 kilometres north-east of Adaminaby.
It was one of two NSW fires which were uprated to a "watch and act" status on Wednesday afternoon as winds strengthened from the east and south-east.
The second was the Clear Range fire, eight kilometres to the north-west of Bredbo.
The wind was taking the fire away from Bredbo and the Monaro Highway remained open although sections are subject to a reduced speed limit of 80km/h.
Rural properties and the Shannon's Flat village, which has a population of 78 people, are now in the western path of the updated Clear Range fire. Sections of the Shannons Flat Rd and Boboyan Road are closed to traffic.
Shannon's Flat has already faced the march of another bushfire, the Adaminaby Complex fire, to its west. However, that fire is now under control.
The isolated Scabby Range reserve's eastern boundary forms part of the ACT/NSW border and is part of the Bimberi Wilderness.
The reserve totals nearly 5000 hectares and is primarily a flora and fauna conservation reserve with sub-alpine forest, although some land to the south and west has been used for agriculture and grazing.
The highest peaks include Mt Murray at 1829 metres, Mt Scabby at 1798 metres and Sentry Box Rock at 1673 metres.
Any vehicle access to the area for firefighters will be risky and difficult. The area has not been hit by a significant fire since 2003.
Nature reserves are used to conserve biodiversity, maintain ecosystem functiuons and protect geological and natural phenomena.
The low wetlands at Youak Creek, within the reserve, is seen of national significance because it is one of the few sub-alpine peat bogs in the Australian Alps region which has not been eroded.
The area is home to the rare snake orchid as well as a number of vulnerable fauna including the spotted-tail quoll, the broad-toothed rat, the olive whistler, the diamond firetail and the eastern false pipistrelle.
