Far South Coast house fire tally revealed after NSW reports deadliest winter on record

The statistics show the number of house fires along the Far South Coast and into the Monaro region between June and August was substantial.

State-wide, the numbers have been shocking.

Fire and Rescue NSW has revealed this winter resulted in 16 residential fire deaths across NSW - four times the 2021 winter total.

FRNSW acting zone commander for region south 1 Philip Eberle, who covers the the area between Berry and Eden along the east coast and across to Perisher and Cooma in the west, said there were a number of house fires across the region.

He said there were two house fires in Bega, one house fire in Narooma, a pub fire in Bombala, two house fires in Moruya, and a house fire in Cooma within the three month winter period.

He said heaters or open fireplaces were often the main culprit in these blazes, after they had been left unattended or were covered by blankets or clothing.

To make matters more alarming, statistics gathered by FRNSW have shown that 50 to 60 per cent of households in regional areas don't have a working smoke alarm in their house.

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Mr Eberle said Fire and Rescue in Cooma recently conducted a home-visit program where teams knocked on doors of houses to hand out flyers, check on smoke alarms, or offer to install smoke alarms free of cost.

"Cooma firefighters went out and did 40 houses through door knocking and of those 19 did not have a working smoke alarm," he said.

The home visits revealed varying reasons why the smoke alarms weren't working - from not having been installed, to batteries having been removed, to smoke alarms being expired past their efficiency dates.

"If you're in a house fire and you don't have a working smoke alarm, you won't know about the fire - as a rule. Generally speaking the gasses produced from the fire help you sleep even better."

He said the difference between having a smoke alarm and not was "death".

"We know that people who have a working smoke alarm in their house will survive and be able to get out safely."

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FRNSW have encouraged people not to become complacent over spring and summer, with household fires still possible even though people were using their heating systems less.

Mr Eberle said in summer, unattended fires could cause bushfire danger and reminded people there were rules to follow when lighting camp fires like having a clear area, keeping water nearby, not taking your eye off the fire, and extinguishing it before leaving.

"Even though we've had a wet winter, the westly winds will dry things out and so prepare, just because we think it's a wet winter doesn't mean there's no fire danger and there's not going to be bushfires."

Life saving advice from FRNSW:

Mr Eberle said Far South Coast Residents could use the daylight savings changeover on Sunday October 2 to check their smoke alarms were working.

Residents having trouble replacing smoke alarms or their batteries, can book a Home Safety Visit, where FRNSW crews can inspect your home to prevent fire and fit smoke alarms for you, free of charge.

South Coast residents can also attend the NSW RFS brigade's Get Ready Weekend events on September 17 and 18, find an event near you.