A strike team of volunteer firefighters from the Tamworth district have packed into six firetrucks and headed north to help battle six raging infernos.
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The 11 Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters left Tamworth on Tuesday, October 17, and are expected to spend about three days assisting about 100 other RFS volunteers battle the fires in the Kyogle area.
RFS district coordinator Stephen Carstens said it was "an amazing effort" by the local firefighters who were called-up midweek even though they all have jobs.
"It's an amazing effort that people actually do that for us. And it's much appreciated by the [Rural Fire] Service. And I'm sure it's much appreciated by the public," Mr Carstens told the Leader.
Mr Carstens said most of the fires in Kyogle have been burning for about a week, with local resources on the ground there "pretty much tied [up]".
"They had that really crappy weather there a few days ago. So that's when most of the fires really took off," Mr Carstens said.
"So we're sending the manpower to assist on the fire ground ... they'd be working on whichever fire they're tasked to."
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Two water tankers and four "Toyota Landcruiser" style firetrucks have been deployed with the Tamworth team, leaving about 1300 RFS volunteers and enough resources to cover the local region, Mr Carstens said.
"They're off-road vehicles ... so they'll move around the fire ground and work back-burning, on construction of control lines, direct firefighting, direct attack on fires and assisting other units."
The six fires in Kyogle are among 71 currently blazing across NSW, including the biggest 'out of control' fire in Kempsey which has burnt out 22399 hectares as of Wednesday, October 18.
Sadly, this year's bushfire season has reportedly claimed the first life, after the body of a 56-year-old man was found in Temagog, about 30 kilometres west of Kempsey on Monday, October 16, about 10.15pm.
Mid North Coast Police District Superintendent Shane Cribb said they believed the man had been putting in containment lines "to try and prevent the fire".
It was an "absolutely tragic incident", Superintendent Cribb said.
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