After a catastrophic summer the bushfire danger period has officially ended.
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The Rural Fire Service announced the end of the fire season on Tuesday, March 31.
RFS Southern Tablelands operations officer Lachlan Gilchrist said the 2019/20 bushfire danger period was the worst in the history of NSW
He said if you looked at the figures it was quite extraordinary, "six per cent of the state burnt, 2248 homes were destroyed and 25 people tragically lost their lives."
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The hard-working firie said he felt a "tremendous amount of relief" as the danger period ended.
While there is no obligation to get a fire permit Mr Gilchrist urged people to register proposed burns with the fire control centre.
He said people were required to notify their neighbours 24 hours in advance and reminded people not to burn toxic materials such as rubber.
"The last thing we want to be doing is sending off volunteer firefighters to a fire only to find it's an unregistered burn" Mr Gilchrist said.
"Many people are using self-isolation as an opportunity to focus on the garden."
The fire control centre had registered 82 burn-offs this morning alone.
Mr Gilchrist urged the community to remain cautious, saying the end of the fire season didn't automatically mean it was safe to burn.
Tallong resident Cheryl Weston breathed a sigh of relief upon reading that the danger period was finally over.
Ms Weston said she was "relieved that we got through it fairly unscathed but Tallong was right in the firing line."
She said the Tallong Brigade and other local fire brigades helped to keep the community safe.
The resident said the fire season was a hard, emotional and tiring time and that she spent the summer not knowing what each day would bring.
"The community support was absolutely amazing," Ms Weston said.
