Boggy, wet conditions have stopped firefighters from accessing an out-of-control fire that was threatening homes in regional New South Wales, with three water-bombing helicopters called in.
The grassfire broke out on Friday on Beryl Road, just outside of Gulgong in the state's central west.
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) issued a watch-and-act alert just after 1pm, which was downgraded to advice level an hour later
The fire remained out of control until around 4pm due to wet conditions.
"We had several rural properties, the solar farm and a substation at Beryl under attack [from the fire] there at one stage," RFS Cudgegong District Superintendent Troy Porter said.
"We're still having trouble with the fire burning in paddocks but have three aircraft on the scene at the moment.
"We can't get vehicles into paddocks and grassland to chase this fire, we are having to stay [on] hard sealed roads."
While helicopters attacked the head of the fire, ground crews focused on protecting the area with back-burning.
Superintendent Porter said the weather, including strong winds, made firefighting difficult and the fire had caught them "unaware".
"It's certainly very wet but because of some of the severe frosts we've had in the mid-west area the grass is very dry, in some areas up to 90 per cent cured," he said.
He said despite the wet conditions, the RFS had been preparing for a difficult grassfire season after a couple of years of rain.
"Property owners that are going to be doing small pile burns need to be careful, please have a containment line around the fire so the fire doesn't escape," he said.
"Fires escalate pretty fast in grass that's been burnt off by frost."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
