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Picton Rural Fire Service gets a makeover
“Our helmets were melting, our masks were melting, and some nights we just saw red as far as the eye could see.”
That’s the way one New South Wales volunteer firefighter, Gareth Jamieson, described the unprecedented and unpredictable 2019/2020 bushfires.
Based in Picton’s Rural Fire Service, Mr Jamieson was on the front line battling the devastating Green Wattle Creek blaze that burned from November 2019 to January 2020 and destroyed more than 275,000 hectares of land.
Together with his fellow firefighters, Mr Jamieson fought the fire for more than 700 hours, often going days without sleeping.
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Less than a year ago, devastating fires ravaged many parts of Australia.
South Australia was one area that was badly impacted. At the end of October 2019, strong northerly winds combined with existing dry conditions and high temperatures created dangerous bushfire conditions for the state.
More than 200 bushfires burned across South Australia, including one major fire at Cudlee Creek in Adelaide Hills.
The Adelaide Hills fire destroyed 23,000 hectares of land, 84 homes, more than 400 outbuildings and 292 vehicles, before finally being brought under control.
It also devastated a lot of the area’s natural wildlife, including the koala population and their food supply.