The bushfires catastrophe in NSW and Queensland has so far cost about $20 million in losses, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says today in an update provided to insuranceNEWS.com.au.

About 250 claims have been lodged, ICA says, as it launched a national Prepare for Bushfire Season campaign to raise public awareness of the hazards ahead of summer.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says this morning on its Twitter feed that firefighters are still working to quell blazes between Tenterfield and Armidale in the northeast of the state, which have burned out more than 233,000 hectares.

It says very high fire danger controls are in effect today because of increased temperatures and winds.

About 97% of building impact assessments in the state are completed, with 32 homes confirmed destroyed and 15 damaged.

The Queensland Government has announced plans for a review into the state’s emergency response to the bushfires. Former police commissioner Ian Stewart has been appointed to oversee the recovery works.

The ICA bushfire campaign was launched on Saturday in Marysville, Victoria, which was among the areas devastated by the 2009 Black Saturday fires.