A PROPERTY owner armed with a just a hose and a bucket managed to save her house and shed from a grass fire as it raged uncontrollably around her.
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Sue Tracy, who lives about 40km from Bathurst on Sodwalls Road, defended her property from the fire on Thursday afternoon.
Her sister Bridget said she couldn’t believe how lucky Sue was, with the flames just metres from her house.
She said when the flames got near the shed, the hose wasn’t long enough, so Sue was forced to put out spot fires by filling a bucket and dumping water on the fires.
Luckily Sue had mowed around the house in the days before the blaze, which provided a buffer, and the hose she used to fight the fire with was only installed a week ago.
- Bridget Tracy
Bridget said it was just luck Sue was even there, normally she would be in Sydney.
“If she wasn’t there she would have lost everything,” Bridget said.
“Luckily Sue had mowed around the house in the days before the blaze, which provided a buffer.”
Bridget said Sue had also recently updated her fire plan, and knew exactly what she wanted to do, which up until Thursday night was to leave the property.
“Obviously her instinct kicked in and she did so well,” Bridget said.
“She saved the house, it really is a miracle.
Bridget said Sue smelt smoke around 3pm, went outside to investigate and saw the fire spreading and started preparing to defend the house.
“She called our cousin and told him to get the 250 head of stock out of the paddock, grabbed the hose and started putting out the fire.”
“The RFS were working on a neighbouring property while Sue worked by herself to save her house.
“I don’t think she had time to be scared, everything just happened so quickly,” Bridget said.
The grass fire, which burnt out 150 hectares, was brought under control by the RFS on Thursday evening but unfortunately not before 550 sheep, on the neighbouring property were killed.
Bridget said the RFS stayed throughout the night checking paddocks and making sure the fire didn’t flare.
“They were wonderful stopping the fire going up the hill and impacting other properties, “ she said.