A FIRE that burned around 15,000 acres of land 150km north of Balranald has been described as one of the fiercest seen in the area in the last 40 years.

Believed to have been started by the lightning strike, the fire began on a property called Mandelman on Tuesday, January 2, and continued to burn in the dense Mallee scrub for five days.

Clare Rural Fire Service captain Dwaine Scott told the&nbs...