Taree, Wingham and Port Macquarie fire crews kept busy

Triple zero calls were received on Thursday, October 5 at about 3.15pm concerning a house fire in Sundara Close, Taree which was subsequently attended by fire crews from Taree, Wingham and Port Macquarie.

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Fire crews were confronted with a well developed fire being driven by high winds with extreme heat and smoke conditions prevailing.

After entering the building, firefighters were forced to exit when the building's ceiling collapsed.

Crews then set up a "defensive firefighting" position around the building, containing the fire and preventing it from spreading to surrounding properties. The fire took several hours to control and four hours to completely extinguish.

All of the occupants were evacuated from the building without injury, however, one firefighter was treated by ambulance personnel for heat exhaustion before being released at the scene. Sadly, the family's support dog perished in the fire.

Fire crews were also called to a blaze on Victoria Street, Taree on Saturday October 7, arriving shortly before 8pm to find a single level home well alight.

The property underwent a partial structural collapse as fire crews arrived, preventing them from entering the building.

The structure contained asbestos fibro, meaning the site was also a Hazmat incident, with crews attending until 10.30pm. Once again, the incident was attended by crews from Taree, Wingham and Port Macquarie.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters performed a thorough search of the building after extinguishing the blaze.

It was a busy weekend for Fire and Rescue crews who were also called upon to attend a series of incidents, including fallen power lines, grass fires, a car fire, bin fires, an animal rescue and a bushfire.

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