Perspective from the frontlines

The Strike Team travelling interstate from the NSW Rural Fire Service arrived in Euroa, before being deployed to support crews already battling the Longwood bushfires.

Speaking before deployment, Strike Team operations officer Isaac Lee said the operation was a high priority, with asset protection the primary focus.

“This was an operation of priority,” Mr Lee said.

“In these catastrophic conditions, the need was greater for us to leave our own area and come and assist here.”

The 50-plus member team staged in Euroa before being sent to areas requiring urgent assistance as fire behaviour worsened under extreme conditions.

Eleven heavy tanker units were set to be operating across the fire-affected areas, with crews travelling from Yarragundry near Wagga, Paynters Siding, Hay, Beelbangera and Tocumwal.

While this crew prepared to enter the fireground, local CFA volunteers — many exhausted after days of continuous work, were taking brief moments to regroup.

One CFA firefighter, who had been on the frontline for more than 48 hours, reflected on the fires with the clarity that comes only after witnessing their full force.

Speaking at Euroa café Fare Enough, the firefighter said the Longwood bushfires were the largest and most intense he had experienced.

“There were not enough fire trucks to battle this,” he said.

“It was the biggest local fire I’ve been involved with. It was really bad — terrible actually. There’s no way to describe it.”

He said he was on a tanker on the first day of the fires, Wednesday, January 7, working along the freeway between Berry Rd and Gap Rd, where crews were already struggling to contain fast-moving flames.

“Our focus was asset protection,” he said.

“We had various rates of success. Ruffy didn’t survive much, however.”

With the benefit of hindsight, he said the fires had overwhelmed available resources, with vineyards destroyed and devastation stretching across the landscape.

“As far as you could see, the fire was coming from every angle,” he said.

Fire behaviour remained unpredictable, with spot fires igniting faster than crews could contain them.

“We’d put out one section, then another fire would come in behind us,” he said.

“You’d run out of water, go to refill, and by the time you got back, it was out of control again — it was so big.”

Blocked roads and fallen trees forced crews to drive large tankers through paddocks as they continued to fight to protect lives, homes and critical infrastructure across the Strathbogie Shire.