Man dies in bushfire on NSW north coast

Duncan Murray | October 17, 2023

A 56-year-old man has died after a bushfire swept through properties on the NSW mid-north coast.

The man’s body was recovered from a property at Stony Creek Lane at Temagog, roughly 30km west of Kempsey.

Emergency services were called to the property at around 10.15pm on Monday, following concerns for the man after a bushfire tore through the area.

“On arrival, officers from Mid-North coast Police District located the body of a man; his bulldozer nearby was destroyed,” NSW Police said in a statement on Tuesday.

The man has not yet been formally identified but is believed by police to be a local property owner.

As of 7am on Tuesday, the blaze at Willi Willi Rd, had burnt more than 10,000 hectares and remained out of control, with a watch and act warning in place.

The Rural Fire Service said on Monday evening those in Willi Willi, Warbro Brook, Willawarrin, Mungay Flat, Temagog or Toorooka, should monitor conditions and be prepared to act.

Shortly before midnight, the RFS said conditions had eased on the fireground, however, firefighters were working through the night to contain the fire.

The fire was moving erratically in multiple directions.

Another fire at Springwood Park Road near Cope in the Central Darling Shire east of Dubbo was brought under control and an emergency warning lifted on Tuesday morning.

Overnight people in properties west of Ulan Road in the Cook’s Gap and Ulan areas were told it was too late to leave and to seek shelter.