Firefighters from the Orange branch of Fire and Rescue NSW reported a man to police on Friday morning after they were called to a Margaret Street address and found him burning rubbish in his yard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Concerned neighbours phoned emergency services about the fire, which was lit in the height of a total fire ban at 3.48am.
While Fire and Rescue NSW was at the scene the man extinguished the fire with a garden hose.
The firefighters phoned police because lighting the fire during a fire ban was illegal.
The offence could attract a $2200 fine or if the matter goes to court a fine of $5500 or a 12-month jail term.
According to the Rural Fire Service, if a person allows a fire to escape their property on a day of total fire ban, fines of up to $132,000 may apply, or prison terms of seven years.
The call came on a busy night when the firefighters were called to several false alarms due to dense smoke from bushfires in the Blue Mountains.
Fire fighters received several triple zero calls due to the smoke, including at Coulson Place where there was a report about grass fire and although it briefly appeared on the Fires Near Me app about midnight there was no fire.
Due to the lingering smoke Fire and Rescue NSW is urging people to only phone triple zero if they see a fire and flames.
The smoke also triggered several automatic fire alarms that Fire and Rescue NSW responded to.
By 8am the smoke caused poor visibility and the air quality in Orange was just under eight times the hazardous level.
In other call-outs, Fire and Rescue NSW responded to a burst water main at 9.42pm on Thursday.
The fire fighters were able to cut supply to the main until workers from Orange City Council.
At 5.32pm Fire and Rescue NSW was also called to assist the Rural Fire Service at a minor building fire at Post Office Lane at Lewis ponds.
According to the Rural Fire Service the fire was in a garage after a battery charger connected to a bus had a fault and ignited.
An RFS truck was on standby down the road and was able to extinguish the fire.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
