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Thredbo evacuated in face of fire

By staff writers

January 17, 2007 01:44pm
Article from: NEWS.com.au

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ONE of the nation's top ski resorts is being evacuated because it is under threat from an approaching bushfire.

The Hermit Mountain fire has more than doubled its size in 24 hours and Rural Fire Service and NSW National Parks and Wildlife crews are preparing for it to approach Thredbo by nightfall.

“The fire is approximately 12km from Thredbo now, but if weather continued as expected it will be 6km from Thredbo by nightfall,” Ailish Pope, an RFF and Incident Management Team spokeswoman, said.

“We have trigger points in place to relocate staff if need be.”

All visitors have been told to leave the ski resort, which straddles the NSW-Victoria border.

The fire was sparked by lightning on Friday and was burning in inaccessible terrain.

“The fire has burnt about 1400ha on the Victorian side of the border and about 3200ha on the New South Wales side,” Ms Pope said.

“Fire crews are being supported by 6 aircrafts including an air crane.

“The NSW Fire Brigade is also on standby to provide assistance if we need it.”

Susie Diver, Thredbo resort spokesperson, said 700 to 1000 visitors had been evacuated as a precaution and staff had been told to wet down all surfaces.

"The next two days will be telling," Ms Diver said.

The Alpine Way is now closed to all traffic aside from residents and emergency personnel.

The Kosciusko National Park and the Geehi and Swampy Creek Campsites have also been closed for public safety.