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The Gippsland Fire Front

An insight into the current extent of the bushfires in Gippsland

By Emma Kae - 5th February 2003 - Back to News

The Gippsland fire front began with a series of lightning strikes. Now stretching from Dargo in the west to Tubbut in the east, the intense fire has already destroyed more than 400,000 hectares of Gippsland’s Alpine Country alone and appears to be far from over.

"This is a serious situation for Victoria," stated Gary Morgan, the CFO of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) in press conference.

Currently, the fire is being fought by a number of volunteers, government agencies, dedicated fire-fighters and incident management teams, not only from Gippsland, but also South Australia, Queensland, New Zealand and America.

Authorities are putting measures in place to minimise the damage, contain the blaze and extinguish the fire. Such provisions include CFA strike teams; staff from the Department of Primary Industries and the DSE; in addition to staff and equipment from the Army, the Navy, State Emergency Services (SES), the rest of Victoria and New South Wales.

Heather Hadgkiss, a seasoned volunteer for the Morwell SES, was dispatched to the fire front and was horrified by the scene. "It was very scary," she said. "I doubt I will ever see anything of this magnitude and destruction ever again. Imagine a war movie on another planet on the biggest scale - then you might be close to imagining the atmosphere.

"The fire will stop when it rains, when the wind dies down or changes in the right direction or when it hits the water (ocean)," she predicts. Unfortunately, only time will tell if Mother Nature will put an end to the devastation.

In the meantime, the intense blaze is being fought in the sky and on the ground. The work is extremely difficult and quite dangerous as the rough terrain forces fire-fighters to approach on foot with hand held equipment and limited water resources.

Immediate attacks and long-term strategies are currently in place to help manage the inferno. Massive containment lines from Labertouche to Mallacoota are being developed to aid the fire-fighters in controlling the flow of the fire into new land.

Areas of immediate risk include Swifts Creek, Ensay, Bindi, Cassilis, Brookville, Tubbut, Dellicknora, Cabanandra and Bonang. Strengthening winds indicate that the threat may be increased. Residents are advised to remain alert and be prepared.

There is information available on action to take in preparation for approaching fires. Click here to read up on what to do if you, or your property is threatened by fire.

More information is available in the online news section of the website, from your local CFA station and the Department of Primary Industries Office (71 Hotham St, Traralgon). The Gippsland community Fire Information line is open from 6.00 am till midnight every day. Please call for more information about the fire situation and to report stock losses and injuries or to inquire about post fire assistance – 1800 668 066.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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