Author: Tony

The Yallingup Rural based 12.2 with Alan and Stevo is returning from the Esperance region Saturday, along with the Dunsborough truck with Leisha from Rural.

They headed off from Yallingup Wednesday with the 12.2 leaving the Thornton shed at 05:30. They met other trucks at Dunsborough and Manjimup and arrived in the evening at Esperance about 13 hours later. The convoy consisted of the 12.2, Margaret River 3.4 Urban, Dunsborough 3.4, Cattrick 2.4, Northcliffe 3.4.

They worked around the Scaddan area. The pictures were provided by Alan and Annie.

 

 

The 1.4 was used to put out a car fire in Blackbutt Close, Wednesday. A quick thinking dozer driver dumped a bucket of sand on the car and temporarily put out the initial fire. However once the 1.4 arrived along with Adam, David, Douglas, Emma, Kevin and Noel, and the car was dug out, it was clear it was still burning. It took all the truck’s thousand litres and foam to eventually put it out.

Meanwhile the brigade’s 12.2 tanker has arrived in the Esperance region with Alan and Stevo and was already at work Thursday morning just South of Salmon Gums .

A grass fire ignited Monday afternoon during the slashing of a paddock in Bayfield Court. The 4.4 with Alan, Andy, Mark P and Matty and the Light Tanker with Duncan and Emma quickly made the area safe and subsequently blacked out the remnants. Nature assisted with the absence of a sea breeze.

Early Wednesday the 12.2 with Alan and Stevo headed off to Esperance while Leisha joined a Dunsborough crew heading east. Annie also set off  with Mark P to Esperance in her community liaison role.

 

Dunsborough Light Tanker provided assistance Saturday, stopping a burn-off escaping into bush full of grass trees. The fire was on Vintners Drive. It developed  mid-afternoon when the wind picked up and flames spread from a burning pile into a paddock and adjacent grass trees. Vintners Drive is on the border of the Dunsborough district and their Light Tanker crew quickly got the fire under control.

The brigade’s 4.4 soon arrived with Andy, Bruce, Matty and Mike joining David, Chris and Tony S and  the Dunsborough 3.4 in blacking out.

After Friday’s almost steady rain the brigade had been hoping for a day off Saturday.  Sunday is the last day of burning without a permit and residents are urged to be cautious.

The brigade was called out twice in less than an hour Thursday due to private burn-offs gone wrong.

The first was on Yungarra Drive with the brigade being called out to help the Dunsborough brigade. It was just up the road from last week’s fire. Dunsborough quickly took control and our trucks were subsequently not needed and the crews were stood down.

Less than an hour later the brigade was called out to put out a fire off Indjidup Spring Road that had reignited from a weekend burn. The 1.4 with Fish and Matty put out the fire that had been smouldering for days in the sand and then flared up. The Brigade Captain pointed out that it is the responsibility of anyone doing a burn to make sure the fire is definitely out before leaving. With only a few more days left in the burn-off season it is crucial that anyone lighting a fire recognises the risks involved and takes adequate precautions.

Andy and Carlo spent Thursday night fighting a fire southeast of Donnybrook. The pair took the Light Tanker at eight pm and returned by nine Friday morning,  just in time for Andy to return to work at the Post Office.

They were operating southeast of Donnybrook, off Thomson Brook Road. They spent the night blacking out and extinguishing spot fires, working in very hilly terrain, in bush and pine plantations.

By mid Friday morning the fire was contained but not under control.