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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Andrew Brown

'That's coming towards us': Video shows spread of Orroral Valley fire

Dramatic footage has emerged online of an ACT fire crew having to evacuate while fighting the Orroral Valley bushfire.

The video was taken on January 27, the day the bushfire started in the Namadgi National Park, and shows flames coming within metres of the crew's firetruck.

Several spot fires can be seen popping up ahead of the main fire with a wall of flames seen through the trees behind, some several metres high.

"We're going to pack it up, that's coming towards us," one firefighter can be heard saying in the video.

"When that gets to us here, it's not stopping. We've lost it."

The video was shot on a firefighter's GoPro near the Orroral Valley tracking station and the Cotter Hut trail.

In one of the video's more terrifying moments, the firetruck carrying the crew was seen driving close to the flames just before the blaze crossed over the fire trail.

The video shows firefighters battling the Orroral Valley bushfire last Monday. Picture: Martin Greenwood

The fire has since grown to more than 70,000 hectares as of 9am on Wednesday and has burnt more than a quarter of the entire ACT in the week since it began.

The fire is still out of control.

Fire authorities have said it could be several weeks before the bushfire in the national park was extinguished.

While conditions on the firefront are more favourable, the bushfire continues to expand to the west, south and north-west.

The fire has remained within containment lines to the north-east, in areas closest to Tharwa and southern Tuggeranong suburbs.

"Erratic and at times dangerous fire conditions, caused by extreme dryness in the environment, were experienced by crews on the ground," the ACT Emergency Services Agency said.

While fire authorities said conditions on Tuesday night were challenging, assets within the south of the Namadgi National Park were saved, including Corin Forest ski resort.

Brayshaws Hut, Westermas Hut, Lutons Sheering Shed and Waterholes Hut were also protected from the fire.

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An ancient Ngunnawal women's cultural object, dating back almost 1000 years, was also successfully saved.

The object, which is kept in a remote area of the Namadgi National Park, was retrieved with the help of emergency crews, defence force personnel and Parks and Conservation staff.

Caroline Hughes from the Dhawura Ngunnawal committee said the retrieval was the first of its kind in the ACT.

"Many Aboriginal people in NSW and Victoria have experienced loss of homes and businesses," she said.

"There has also been the heartbreaking loss of significant cultural objects, sites, flora and fauna in their homelands, our hearts go out to them.

"The work that is being done to reduce the potential impact of fire within Namadgi will hopefully save the Ngunnawal people from this heartbreak."

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