Managing the Hill End Fire at Alpha Road, Tambaroora

Our brigade has had a busy fortnight alongside other Chifley Lithgow Brigades helping the Hill End brigade and Cudgegong district with a significant bushfire.

Until March, there had been only one callout to an escaped campfire on the Macquarie River at Root Hog crossing. The 2022/2023 bushfire season had been quiet as we had been in an extended La Nina event, with significant flooding and the bridge at Freemantle going under water a number of times in winter and spring Pasture and undergrowth fuel loads were high, which meant any fire had plenty of extra fuel There were a number of storms over the summer with plenty of lightning strikes in our area, but all were extinguished with rain.

Hill End area did not have the luxur y of their lightning strikes being extinguished by rain. They had a number of callouts in late summer, including to Powell’s Hut fire which required a significant effort including air support to control it on the 21st Februar y.

On Sunday, March 5th, the Hill End brigade was called to a fire at Alpha Road Tambaroora in ver y rough terrain By Sunday evening, the fire was 150 acres Monday was forecast to be a ver y challenging day for firefighters Crews from Chifley

Lithgow, Including Freemantle, formed a strike team to assist with the fire. By Monday lunchtime, the fire had taken a significant run and turned into a major bushfire Crews did what they could to protect life and property.

“At the time of writing the fire is contained and is 17, 794 hectares.

Sometimes a fire this large is hard for people to visualise. It is a blob shape, approximately 20km by 15km, with a fire line perimeter of about 160km In one day, it ran over 8km ”

Over the next few days, the fire increased to 15,000 hectares in rough terrain. It took a significant response by NSWRFS, Fire Rescue NSW and National Parks and Wildlife to control. Eventually, as the weather eased and control lines were established with back burning and heavy plant, the fire was controlled, then mopped up at the edges with the fire still burning in the centre during the day.

The Freemantle brigade worked 10 consecutive days, a huge effort by our small brigade. We are a small but ver y important cog in a ver y large response. We saved houses, did property protection, helped blackout and mop up, and then patrolled as the fire timeline progressed

At the time of writing the fire is contained and is 17,794 hectares. Sometimes a fire this large is hard for people to visualise. It is a blob shape, approximately 20km by 15km, with a fire line perimeter of about 160km. In one day, it ran over 8km https://www rfs nsw gov au/planand-prepare/bush-fire-sur vival -plan

We have had large fires in Freemantle, with the possibility of having a fire as big as Hill End’s recent fire. It is a ver y important warning to ever yone in our area and any bushfire-prone area about how fast a fire can move and that it is critical that ever yone has their property adequately prepared and a fire plan in place.

Thank you to all members, their families, employers and community members who helped support our brigade in attending this fire and for your continued support over the season