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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.

The brigade helped it’s neighbor, Dunsborough, put out an escaped burn Thursday afternoon on Yungarra Drive. David, Pete and Tony S turned up as the Dunsborough trucks arrived, with both Pete and Tony being nearby when the alert went out.  Within minutes Emma and Stevo arrived on the Light Tanker and then Bruce, Douglas, Matty, and Mitch arrived on the 4.4 joined by Mark. P. The fire was quickly extinguished and blacked out.

On Tuesday night all trucks were out for a burn on Blue Orchid Court. It started at 4pm and wound up around 8:45.

All the brigade trucks were out Monday afternoon assisting our neighbours, Wilyabrup, with a fire on Moses Rock Road. The quick turnout prevented the out-of-control burn from spreading into denser bush as the breeze picked up.

The 4.4 was first out of the gate with Andy, Bruce and Matty, shortly followed by the 1.4 with Douglas, Mark P, Pete and Tony S. They were later joined by Adam and Emma on the Light Tanker and Alan and Annie on the 12.2. Fish managed the fire and David helped with the plumbing.

The alarm went out a little after 1:30 and all the trucks were back by 16:30. It was the first fire of the season, one day later than last year’s first.

Other recent events have included a false alarm last Sunday, assisting Yallingup Coastal and DPAW with a burn in the National Park, attending the Fire Expo at Dunsborough Saturday and helping with a number of private burns.

Energy Safety WA has released its report on January’s  Cairnhill fire and it identifies what it sees as the source of the fire but the cause could not be determined.

The examination found the Cable Termination Head on top of the concrete power pole behind the property “failed due to the failure of the cable insulation. The cause of the cable insulation failure could not be determined by the examination. ”

The report also points out that Western Power was not aware there was a fire when it tried to turn the power back on 24 minutes after the power was automatically shut down. WP then sent an “operative” to the site and he was informed by DFES of the fire.

The report, which is available here makes no reference to earlier electrical related fires in the area and no recommendations were made.

The fire occurred on January 5 and resulted in the destruction of the Cairnhill B&B.  The quick response of the Dunsborough, Yallingup and Yallingup Rural brigades stopped the fire from reaching neighbouring houses.