Unit razed by fire

A Tocumwal St unit in Finley was destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at the recently vacated unit about 3.30pm on December 24.

Finley Fire & Rescue NSW Captain Brian O’Hora said one Finley crew and one Berrigan crew responded, and said the unit was ‘‘well alight and gone’’ by the time they arrived.

Capt O’Hora said firefighters entered the unit using breathing apparatus to ensure noone was inside, and estimated 40 per cent of the damage was fire damage and another 40 per cent was smoke damage. He said the cause of the blaze in undetermined.

Lightning strikes

Lightning on Monday sparked a grassfire which burned about one hectare off Chinaman’s Rd at Tocumwal.

Tocumwal Rural Fire Service Captain Dean Keleher said it was a mix of luck and a quick response which prevented the fire from spreading further.

The fire was started about 12.15pm and four teams of firefighters responded promptly.

There were two units from Tocumwal’s RFS and two from Finley’s RFS brigade.