HOWLING wind and scorching heat pushed firefighters and containment lines to their limits on the public holiday.
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Firefighters are working to control a blaze at Nowendoc that started on Monday afternoon.
Mid North Coast Rural Fire Service district officer Stuart Robb said all hands were on deck to get the blaze under control.
"It's being looked after by aircraft, and the fire is going at the moment," he said.
"It's uncontained and the crews are on the ground at the moment working to bring it under control.
"We've got a dozer there doing containment work, no properties are under threat at this stage."
The fire is about 6 kilometres south-east of Nowendoc and is burning in isolated bushland.
In Tamworth, Rural Fire Service volunteers were called to a pile of poo that had started to smoke at Loomberah.
A neighbour made the call to firefighters after she noticed smoke billowing from the mound of cow manure.
Superintendent Allyn Purkiss said it's not unusual for those to self-combust on a hot day.
"The firefighters put water on it and spread it out with the farmer to cool it back down again," he said.
"It's all contained in a pit."
Huge blazes out at Bees Nest and Red Range near Glen Innes continue to burn, made more difficult by Monday's weather conditions.
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