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Katie Woolf spoke with Chief Fire Patrol Officer Andrew Turner · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us on the line Bushfires nties Andrew Turner, Good
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: morning to you, Andrew.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Okay, Katie, how are you.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Not too bad? Andrew? I understand a very busy weekend
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: for you guys and a fireban in place for today.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: It certainly was. We had firefires on the go yesterday.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: All of them took a fair bit to control because
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: of the dry and windy conditions. Those conditions are building
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: to a peak today and there's also expected to be
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: quite a bit of severe fire weather across the top
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: end tomorrow as well, so a period of windy, very gusty,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: and very dry conditions.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Now, as I mentioned, we know the weekend was incredibly busy.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Can you talk us through the fires that our bushfires
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: and T crews were out to on the weekend.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Certainly yesterday we were sort of monitoring the Cane Road fire.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: It's at Lambell's Lagoon and that's been continuing to put
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: up smoke. It's burning internal. There's wet areas that are
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: very very smoky, obviously, and as it gets into those
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: wet areas, it appears that it's doing a whole lot
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: more than it is. But it's well and truly behind containment.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Lines now. Yesterday morning we attended fire at Windows of
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: the Wetland on the floodplain adjacent to that area. Crews
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: took some time to bring that under control and in
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: the habit of escalating that getting other cruise to it.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Another fire at look About Station, four or five kilometers
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: away was also discovered that has caused some damage out
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: it look About Station and I believe it came It
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: looks like it's come from the road corridor there, so
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: on the Arnham Highway. Once again, we're monitoring that there
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: is an advice out about smoke on the Arnham Highway
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: and certainly road users should be aware of that. In
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: addition to that, the big fire that we're continuing to
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: work on it's a going fire, is that Lake Bennett.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: It started somewhere on the Marrakai track yesterday and got
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: a pretty good move on with those very windy conditions
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: down towards Bachelor. Crews were on it overnight. They've established
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: a pretty good containment line and we will be maintaining
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: that activity today, actively managing the containment lines to ensure
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: that it doesn't come across. Finally, last night at Boundary
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Road at Dalen River, there was a fire at the
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: local brigade down there managed took seven units i think
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: to bring under control, and they're monitoring that to actively
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: monitoring that today. They've got a couple of crews down
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: there and they'll stay on that.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: So Andrew. At this point in time, all of those
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: fires are under control or at this point they're okay,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: But later on this afternoon, as that wind picks up,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: it could be a concern.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Again absolutely, in particular the Lake Bennett fire, that's the
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: one we've got most of the resources sitting on. The
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: expectation is that about now nine or nine point thirty
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: this morning, the windy conditions will start down that way.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: And as I said, this is the peak of the
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: weather in this particular surge. It's also the strongest weather
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: fire weather that's been forecast to date this season by
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: the Bureau. So we're really spending a fair bit of
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: effort just making sure that we maintain our preparations down
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: there and have a really strong stance in case something
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: does start up. We're confident that the work we've done
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: is a pretty solid containment line, but it does require
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: active management, so that's the main risk down there. We're
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: maintaining a watching Act message for that area, just so
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: that especially the local residents understand there is a lot
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: of smoke in that area. We've got a staff member
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: that's traveling down to Lake Bennett now and he's going
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: to establish an information area at the resort down there,
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: and anybody that needs to ask questions about the weather
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: for today, where the travel where the fire has traveled
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: from today, and also the planned tactics for controlling that
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: fire are welcome to go along and see Ken.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Now, was there any will damage to property in the
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: fires over the weekend?
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: We've had some reports at it. Look about station there
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: was It certainly came close to a couple of assets,
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: and there may have been some sort of shared or
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: tent that was lost out that way. We're unsure of
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: the exact nature of what's getting lost, but that's the
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: only reported loss over the weekend.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: And how many crews did it take really to get
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: those containment lines, those effective containment lines in place, and
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: how many volleys were required over the weekend as well, Andrew, quite.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: A few volunteers were involved in the Lake Bennett fire,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: and still this morning we've got three volunteer units out there.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: In addition to the four or five staff that are
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: live on that Lake Bannett fire. As I said, last
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: night at Darwen River there were seven units that were
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: involved in managing the boundary road fire. Yesterday at Windows
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: of the Wetland we had our Landbell's Lagoon and the
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Americai Cruise managing both the Windows and the look About
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Station fire. So quite a few volunteers. Last night at
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: Lake Bennett we had crews from Darwen River sorry, Berry
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Springs Brigade go down and assist the local Bark Brigade
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: down there. So yeah, volunteers traveling from a fair way
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: away to assist in some pretty big events. Yeah.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Well, I hope that, you know, I hope that it
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: all comes down a little bit. But by the sounds
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: of it, today is going to be a fairly difficult
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: day as well. Andrew, what is the advice to any
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: territory in out there listening who's maybe near those areas,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: lives near those areas? What can they do? What do
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: they need to do?
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: Certainly vigilance. You know, we've got crews out there and waiting.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: We need to be notified when those fires do get
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: out of their containment line. So if you see a
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: fire that appears to be unmanaged, please report it to
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: Triple zero. It is the quickest way to get a response.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: We've got a lot of crews out there and looking
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: we've got a fair bit of resources out there. We've
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: got contracted earth moving equipment and certainly specialist aircraft involved
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: in the effort. So the sooner we can get onto
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: those fires, the better will be. Importantly, this surge of
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: dry weather is going to last for a couple of days,
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: so we need to maintain that preparation for it at
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: least a couple more days.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, well done to you guys from Bushfires NT,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: all of the staff there, but also all of those
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: volunteers on everybody that's been working incredibly hard over the
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: course of the weekend to contain those fires. And all
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: the best for the coming days as well.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Thanks very much, Katie, Thank.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: You, no doubt we'll talk to you again soon. Andrew.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: Andrew Turner there from Bushfires into