A fire which burnt out 29 hectares of bush, west of Nowra over the weekend is being treated as suspicious.
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The fire broke out off Filter Road just after 11am on Saturday (September 11).
Strong gusty westerly winds proved a challenge for firefighting crews from the Rural Fire Service as they worked to control the bushfire burning near Flat Rock Creek, north west of Filter Road.
While there was no threat to property in the area, the fire produced smoke that was visible to residents in the surrounding area and driven by the strong winds even covered large swathes of the floodplain, east of Nowra.
Initially Rural Fire Service bridges from West Nowra, Tomerong and Greenwell Point attended the location, investigating the extent of the fire and starting firefighting operations.
A water-bombing helicopter from Sydney was called to the area around 1.30pm to assist ground crews in extinguishing hot spots, while additional RFS crews from Basin View, Huskisson, Callala Bay, Cambewarra and members of Fire and Rescue NSW also fought the blaze.
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At one stage, a second water-bombing aircraft was also tasked to the area, with the two helicopters working in tandem to contain the blaze.
Crews were working in tough conditions and difficult terrain to try and contain the fire.
Further RFS crews from Culburra, Shoalhaven Heads and Falls Creek joined the firefighting efforts over the weekend as did more FRNSW crews.
All crews did a fantastic job in minimising the fire's extent in at times difficult and challenging weather conditions and to hold it to its containment lines.
The fire was contained around 4pm Sunday, however crews remain on the scene continuing to monitor the area and blacken out any hot spots.
RFS said the fire's cause is under investigation.
The fire came on the same weekend as RFS across NSW were conducting its "Get Ready Weekend", where homeowners were being urged to prepare their properties for the upcoming fire season.
Members of the public are urged to continue to monitor fire condition via the NSW RFS website or by downloading the Fires Near Me app.
Residents are reminded also to only ring (000) to report a fire if they see flames.
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