A GRASS fire yesterday afternoon near Tamworth was heading towards several houses but looked like it would not pose a major threat to them, a NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman said.

The fire started around 3.30pm at Tangaratta Creek, about 17 kilometres west of Tamworth.

By 4.30pm, it had burnt out 20 hectares and was about 200m away from some houses – but NSW RFS spokesman, Inspector Steve Prior of Tamworth City Rural Fire Brigade, said there were “no houses under threat”.

Four RFS fire trucks were sent from the Tamworth City, Somerton, Winton and Warral and the West Tamworth Fire & Rescue truck also attended.

The constant wind, low humidity and high temperatures helped fan the fire, Inspector Prior said.

Another fire started from lightning strikes at Ogunbil on Saturday had burnt out about 10 hectares of rough terrain and was “being controlled.”

The RFS was using a water bomber using water from Chaffey Dam.

Another fire which had been burning for a few days north of Warrabah National Park, near Kingstown, also flared up yesterday.

Inspector Prior said National Parks & Wildlife Service crews, plus two NPWS helicopters, as well as a truck from the NSW RFS’s Tamworth City Rural Fire Brigade, were battling the fire, which had burnt out 10 hectares.