BURNT out landholders in the Dunedoo district are demanding to know why they were left to defend their burning properties while fire fighters watched on from the comfort of their trucks, some even playing cricket at a nearby school.
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More than 5000 stock were destroyed along with 35 homes when the Sir Ivan fire swept from Leadville to Cassilis on February 11 and 12.
The fire eventually burnt 54,000 hectares, impacting 138 landholders.
“I lost 99.2 per cent of my 1800 acre (728 hectares) property and to this day I haven’t had a single fire truck on my place,” said Paula Palmer, “Wongalea”, Vinegaroy Road, Cassilis.
The fire killed 480 of Ms Palmer’s sheep but 130 cows were saved.
“I’ve never felt as alone as I did on that weekend. Fire crews were playing cricket at the Cassilis school while we were getting burnt out.
“I didn’t expect them to be up fighting the front on the Sunday, but I did think they would come afterwards.”
Multiple farmers along Vinegaroy Road said fire crews would not provide them with water or equipment to get the job done themselves.
Ms Palmer was among a group of devastated landholders who gathered in Cassilis on the weekend to demand answers from the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS).
NSW RFS acting manager for the Liverpool Range zone, Tim Butcher, told the packed town hall the RFS provided the greatest good and the greatest amount of people possible.
He said the reason fire fighters were seen across the district sitting back and watching on Sunday afternoon was because the fire’s incident controller, based in Coonabarabran, had directed all crews to seek safe ground.
The call was made due to the emergence of pyro-convective conditions whereby the fire was generating its own weather system, including lightning which was sparking more fires.
“At this point the protection of life was the highest priority,” Mr Butcher said.
Multiple crews were sent to protect the village of Cassilis, home to 381 people, as analysts believed the fire could reach the township by 7pm on Sunday. It was only due to a wind change that the fire never reached the village.
A pre-emptive Section 44 had been declared leading into the catastrophic weekend which meant all fire crews were in an advanced state of readiness.
Cassilis brigade captain Shane Rawlinson said all volunteers were required to heed the directions of the RFS’ incident controller.
“I can’t speak for the people who lost homes because I can’t imagine what that feels like, but I can tell you it hurts when you tell us we’re not good enough and that we sat on the road and watched your houses burn,” Mr Rawlinson said.
This week, while local fire crews patrol for embers and stock and hay carriers exchange cargo, farmers are wondering if more could have been done on Saturday when the fire started on Sir Ivan Doughety Drive.
An RFS spokesperson said brigades responded quickly and were assisted by water bombing aircraft, including large air-tankers, but the fire escalated quickly in the hot and windy conditions.
Local landholders, including Ant Martin, “Dalkeith”, Cassilis, who had 7000 acres (2833ha) burnt out, have questioned why local knowledge wasn’t put to better use to navigate the fire ground.
“Why haven’t the learnings from the Warrumbungle bushfires been put into practice?”
He urged the RFS to review their use of “strike teams”, saying “mop up” teams were equally necessary.