THE FACTS

❚ About 400 people have been evacuated from their homes.

❚ A dozen ground crew have been fighting the fires.

❚ 16 helicopters are dumping between 30 and 50 monsoon bucketloads of water a day.

❚ Each bucket can hold 400-1000 litres of water.

❚ Between 168,000 and 800,000 litres of water are being used to douse the fire each day.

❚ The fire was thought to have been sparked by a contractor ploughing a paddock in Pigeon Valley opposite Tasman Pine Forests land.

❚ A second fire broke out on Rabbit Island.

❚ The fire has spread over 1600 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 180 homes, causing an estimated $1 million to $2m of damage to forestry.

❚ The number of crew have doubled since Wednesday and is expected to grow again today as they try to beat the forecast winds.