Firefighters have described just how close the Yankees Gap bushfire came to threatening more homes.
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We went hard here to try and knock this thing [the bushfire] down, but the weather beat us a couple of times.
- NSW Rural Fire Service Superintendent John Cullen
Australian Fire Service Medal winner and NSW Rural Fire Service Superintendent John Cullen this week recounted the extreme conditions on September 15, when the firefront spread to the Coopers Gully region on the outskirts of Bega.
“I think that Saturday the 15th of September - it doesn't get much worse than that - that was a shocker and we did well to get out of that. It was only the work of the firefighters, the incident management team here, and the aircraft, when we could get up, that saved a lot of homes because that [fire] was a shilling off getting into Bega,” Mr Cullen said.
“I can tell you, it was very close.”
A month after the fire destroyed three homes, severe weather conditions saw the temperature jump almost 10 degrees to a maximum of 30.4 at North Bega, before dropping to just 15.9 degrees the following day.
The continuing fire destroyed another home, and Coopers Gully residents were evacuated from their homes as spotfires spread.
Aerial photographs from September 15 show the out of control fire flaring up between 1.20pm and 2.17pm.
"We went hard here to try and knock this thing [the bushfire] down, but the weather beat us a couple of times,” Mr Cullen said.
Mr Cullen and the RFS team received a thank you card, organised by East Coast Radio and signed by local businesses and staff, at their Bega headquarters on Wednesday.
Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain said the card was an “acknowledgement of the hard work the RFS, volunteers and other organisations”.
Council has agreed to waive costs surrounding water and sewer charges, waste fees, development applications, complying development and associated fees, and interest on general rates instalments for properties directly affected by the blaze.
“Obviously these measures were unbudgeted, however all costs, foregone income and other items will be captured in the recovery process and form part of the ongoing reporting on this incident,” council’s general manager Leanne Barnes said this week.
“In addition to the fees and charges waivers, it is important to stress that all those impacted by the Yankees Gap fire are strongly encouraged to contact and access the Recovery Support Service.”
A community bushfire recovery meeting will be hosted by council at the Bemboka Town Hall on Monday, November 5.
