Answers Sought After Australian Firefighters Burned

Oct. 16, 2012
Two firefighters suffered severe burns after their truck was overrun by flames Friday.

The state Opposition says it is vital authorities determine quickly what went wrong when two firefighters suffered serious injuries in a bushfire near Albany.

Two female firefighters suffered severe burns after their truck was engulfed in flames at Two Peoples Bay on Friday.

A 45-year-old, who had burns to 60 per cent of her body, is still in a critical condition in hospital while a 24-year-old is stable.

Authorities have begun investigations and the Premier says they will be thorough, but the Opposition's Margaret Quirk says it is vital lessons are learned before the fire season starts.

She says the lives of firefighters could be at risk.

"We would hope there wouldn't be undue delay," she said.

The Emergency Services Minister Troy Buswell has promised a thorough investigation into the blaze.

There are reports authorities knew of an impending wind change and should not have allowed the women to enter the area.

Mr Buswell says he is not aware of the suggestion.

"What I'm not going to do is jump early based on anecdotal feedback," he said.

"We need to go through a proper process and understand if there are learnings in terms of what we need to do better to understand what they are."

Mr Buswell says the Government has an obligation to make sure that a proper investigation happens.

"If there are things that we need to do different or better, that we do that," he said.

"We owe it to our firefighters and we owe it to the communities that we're out there protecting."

The blaze was fought by firefighters from the Department of Environment and Conservation along with volunteer bushfire brigades, and overseen by the City of Albany before the Fire and Emergency Services Authority took over.

The two women are DEC firefighters.

The Environment Minister Bill Marmion has visited Albany today.

Albany detectives are continuing to investigate suspicions the fire was deliberately lit, while a team of FESA officers is in Albany examining the incident.

Copyright 2012 Australian Broadcasting CorporationAll Rights Reserved

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Firehouse, create an account today!