A lightning strike that hit a section of the Goonoo Forest about 24 hours earlier has been identified as the cause of a blaze that burned out about 300 hectares.
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A plume of smoke from the fire descended upon Dubbo on Wednesday evening, confusing residents who believed a fresh blaze may have sparked up closer to town.
Orana Rural Fire Service inspector Bob Conran said crews and a spotter plane had been examining the Goonoo prior to the fire starting.
“We got a report of a lightning strike so we had crews out there for many hours looking for a fire but we couldn’t see anything,” he said.
“Then the fire did actually take off and by the time we got to it about 80 hectares had burned out, so it did move quite quickly initially.
“A north-easterly wind kicked up into the evening and blew the smoke down the Mendooran Road and over Dubbo.
“We got a few calls about it with people worried it might have been something really close to town but we were already working hard on it by that stage.”
By 3pm on Thursday the fire was pretty much under control, with crews working through the night and into the day, alongside staff from the National Park and Wildlife Service.
Inspector Conran said containing the fire had been the result of a massive effort from RFS ground crews as well as support from aircraft crews and the National Parks staff.
“Everyone has done a tremendous job but with all the lightning activity that’s been around with these afternoon storms there is always the chance of something else sparking up,” he said.
“We have to be ready for that. I’ve seen times where lightning strikes have smouldered for a week or so before turning into something.”
