At least 23 homes, 52 outbuildings and one church have been destroyed by the blaze, with a third of the affected area yet to be inspected by NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) assessment teams.

The blaze has burned upwards of 54,000 hectares and is yet to be brought under control.

Member for Dubbo and Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant said Hercules had been “vital” in the firefighting effort.

“What that plane does is put down massive amounts of retardant on the fire front,” Mr Grant said.

“Given what we were facing, without that resource we may have been facing an even greater disaster.”

Sixteen Orana region RFS members worked around the clock on Sunday to replenish Hercules’ retardant stores.

Mr Grant said the use of Hercules showed Dubbo was “crucial in the deployment of emergency service resources”.

“It’s one of Dubbo’s natural strengths, not just by way of road transport but also now with our aviation capacity growing all the time,” he said.

“It will be a key element of our prosperous future and our ability to support the surrounding regions.”

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe, with an estimated $20 million worth of insured homes, stock and other assets destroyed across NSW.

The figure is expected to rise as communities continue to assess the damage.

ICA CEO Rob Whelan said the catastrophe declaration had seen the industry escalate its response to assist policyholders.

“At least 30 homes and other properties have been lost, and insurers have also received reports of stock losses, as well as fencing and other farm equipment,” Mr Whelan said.

For assistance with livestock, fodder or to report damage phone the Department of Primary Industries on 1800 814 647.