A high-tech infra -red camera is being used to patrol a bushfire in the Goonoo Community Conservation Area.

Mounted on a helicopter, the Forward Looking Infra-red Radar (FLIR) seeks out potential 'smokers' - burning logs and fires burning in tree stumps underground and then sends the information to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

"The imaging equipment has been used during the course of the fire to map its location and size," NPWS Regional Manager Steve Wolter said.

"But its real value at this stage of the fire is that it can tell us exactly where the hot spots are."

As the helicopter flies over the fire ground, the FLIR searches for small fires. It judges the temperature of hot spots on the ground and then emails the location to a computer at fire control.

"It might tell us there's hot ash 50 metres in or an active burning tree 300 metres in and gives us the grid location," Mr Wolter said.

"It describes exactly what it is, and gives us the co-ordinates so the ground crew goes to that spot and puts it out.

"There are a lot of small fires we can't see because they're not letting off smoke - but they might pop up again in a few days time.

"The ground crew knows what to bring and where they're going so it cuts down on time."

The equipment is worth about $250,000.

The fire, which is contained, has burned over 26,000 hectares of forest since it started three weeks ago.

It has been downgraded to patrol status and 20 NPWS are staff still working on the ground.

lynton.grace@ruralpress .com