Snowy Monaro residents faced an anxious wait as the region was hit with its worst fire conditions since the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/2020.

An extreme fire danger rating was in place on Friday, 9 January and a total fire ban on Saturday, 10 January with temperatures reaching the mid-30s and strong winds forecast for Saturday.

Rural Fire Service brigades and additional aircraft were on standby across the two days with the region’s emergency operations centre operating on Saturday.

At the time of going to print on Monday, the region was spared with only a few smaller fires breaking out. Smoke blanketed much of the region over the weekend with the smoke coming from Walwa (Murray River Road) fire in Victoria and also the Brassknocker Firetrail fire in the Wadbilliga National Park at Yowrie.

Residents watched the Hazards Near Me app closely and the Vic Emergency app for warnings, paying close attention to the Walwa fire as it headed towards Corryong.

Our Victorian neighbours faced an arduous time, with around 300 structures lost, including homes, properties and outbuildings. Victoria Police confirmed human remains were found in the Longwood bushfire area, 100 metres from a vehicle in the Gobur district.

The Victorian fires, including the Longwood and Walwa fires, have burnt at least 400,000 hectares. In the Snowy Monaro, smoke was visible in most parts of the region. Residents in Bombala and Delegate reported black leaves falling on Friday and Saturday.