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TWENTY-ONE fire trucks massed on Mount Panorama early yesterday to carry 94 firefighters to the Blue Mountains and a trip into the unknown.
It was a spectacle never seen before, with the Region West firefighters playing their part in the largest mobilisation of fire engines and personnel in the history of Fire and Rescue NSW.
The firefighters, who had travelled from as far away as Hay and Leeton, had been staying at Rydges Mount Panorama, waiting to be deployed to the Mountains where devastating bushfires had been raging since last Thursday.
Chief Superintendent Neil Harris said local Blue Mountains crews had been working non-stop since then.
“Our arrival will give them a bit of a break and allow them to rest,” Chief Supt Harris said yesterday.
He said the Region West contingent, which had been divided into six strike teams, was deployed to Mount Victoria.
They left Mount Panorama at 7am and arrived in Mount Victoria at 8.45am. The 21 engines travelled to the bushfire zone in convoy.
“It was a unique event with so many regional firefighters responding to the call,” Chief Supt Harris said.
He said while some motorists may have been frustrated by the size of the convoy, the majority were pleased to see them out on the roads.
“There was a lot of cheerful tooting of horns and waving, especially as we drew closer to the Mountains,” he said.
“People seemed really grateful and it was lovely to be so well received, even though we hadn’t got our teeth into it at that stage.”
The crews that travelled from Bathurst are covering an area from Mount Victoria, following the Great Western Highway to Medlow Bath.
Chief Supt Harris said their work would predominantly focus on the protection of residential and industrial sites, as well as the escarpment where many properties merge into the bush.
He said the Region West firefighters were working very closely with the Rural Fire Service, supported by Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, in what was a multi-agency response. Each strike team also has its own paramedic.
Chief Supt Harris said crews had been identifying escape routes for firefighters and local residents, offering advice and assisting with fire prevention measures.
However, just after 3pm, news came through that the fire intensity at Springwood had picked up, with burning embers being blown towards homes in the area.
An air crane and extra firefighters were dispatched, however the strong winds were limiting the use of aircraft. Emergency telephone warning alerts were issued to residents in those locations.
At 4.30pm, Chief Supt Harris said with fire activity intensifying around Springwood, two Region West strike teams and eight tankers had just broken off to assist firefighters in Katoomba.
“Because of the prevailing weather conditions, and the fact this is a very volatile area, we want to get plenty of resources down there so we can jump on anything lickety split,” he said.
“Now we are crossing our fingers, toes and ears that we can keep these fires at bay.”
He said, unfortunately, Tuesday night’s rain didn’t allow hazard reduction burns to be completed, and the leaf litter and bush was quickly drying out. The concern now is that spot fires may develop quickly in the strong, gusting winds.
Bathurst team leader, deputy captain Dave Pennells, said that by 2pm, the wind had reached 80km/h and was gusting from every direction.
He said it was clear this was only going to get worse as the afternoon wore on.
“It’s just starting to shape up towards being really nasty,” he said.
“A lot of the fires that were out last night are starting to flare.”
He said that, so far, back burning carried out over the past couple of days has succeeded in containing the fire at Mount Victoria.
“But if it breaks free and gets into the Megalong Valley, we’re in a fair bit of strife,” he said.
“We are also concerned that the same thing could happen in the Grose Valley, which will cause major problems for those in Springwood and Faulconbridge.”
By 3pm, 208 homes had been lost in the NSW bushfire emergency, though conditions eased later in the afternoon. At that time, RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the greatest threat had been averted.