THE landscape along Ophir Road was left far barer on Friday morning after a fierce storm overnight left 60 trees damaged.
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Orange City SES was called to a stretch between the fourth Summer Hill Creek crossing and the Lookout Road intersection, just outside Mullion Creek, at about 10pm on Thursday.
Controller Kim Stevens said 10 volunteers across three crews spent the next four-and-a-half hours chainsawing fallen trees and large branches blocking the road.
MAP: Where the damage was done ...
“The storm was quite localised to that area – the trees damaged were catastrophic really,” he said.
“The furthest they travelled between trees was 50 metres, they were all great big eucalypts.”
Mr Stevens said the road was blocked in several locations, meaning crews had to approach from either end of the five-kilometre stretch.
Crews returned home at 2.30am when a grader from Cabonne Council arrived.
“There was a fair bit of flash flooding and the gravel washed away up to 30 centimetres deep,” Mr Stevens said.
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