It was only thanks to the quick response from two units from the Perthville RFS and one from The Lagoon RFS, combined with the help of local residents, that a serious incident was averted.

Pastures have been haying off quickly due to a lack of rain over the past month, increasing the fire danger.

The blaze – caused by a stolen car which was dumped and burnt out near the Daveys Creek Bridge at the entrance to Ben Chifley Dam – took hold in the early hours of Sunday, September 9.

Craig White and his family live only a short distance from where the fire originated.

“We were lucky,” Mr White said. “If the blaze had jumped the river, it could have spread like wildfire because of all the long grass.

“As it was, one paddock was completely burnt out while one of the old trees on the dam road had to be cut down after catching fire as well.”

The owner of the affected land, Bill O’Connor from Daveys Creek Station, was full of praise for Mr White’s efforts, as well as the RFS volunteers from Perthville and The Lagoon.

“Craig raised the alarm and spent all night helping fight the fire, along with the likes of Michael and Nicholas Hall,” Mr O’Connor said. “The response from the RFS was magnificent, as was the help from neighbours. It typifies the real community spirit residents at The Lagoon have.”

Mr White said the fire was a warning for people living in rural areas with summer just around the corner.

“Do all the right things now,” he said. “Clean up debris around sheds and make sure you have the Rural Fire Service contact details at hand in case you do need to call them in an emergency.”