Firehouse.Com News
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, three National Parks and Wildlife
Service Firefighters in the Australian state of New South Wales were killed
when a routine backburning went out of control.
As in the United States where controlled burns are used to protect park
areas from more devastating fires, the Australians were creating what was
thought to be a routine hazard reduction burn operation to protect local
residents' homes near Kur-ring-gai Chase National Park.
The fire had been set early yesterday under ideal conditions for backburning
and it was during a mop-up operation when the fire flared up that the
officers were trapped.
Four firefighters, aged 25 to 35, were badly burned in the flare-up and
staggered 750 metres to get help. Two were in a critical condition. One of
those killed was a woman.
All are believed to have lived locally and some were also volunteers with
the Rural Fire Service in their spare time. One of the dead firefighters was
a 30-year veteran.
Further information can be found through links to the Sydney Morning Herald
stories below.
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Australian National Parks officers die in backburn