Fire On the Hill.
The week Black Summer came knocking in Upper Yango.
18 July 2019
Sunday 27th November 2019
A fire shed community meeting in Laguna, on the last Sunday in November, did little to reassure the community. The Little L fire had not yet become a concern, having been burning for only a few days.
Sunday 1st November 2019
Twenty RFS fire trucks were lined up along The Great North Road below the Laguna Fire Shed, ready to be deployed. Now all attention was focused on the Little L Fire just a few kilometres from properties to the north of the Finchley Track.
Monday 2nd November 2019
By that evening Little L had the Laguna Brigade’s full attention, as it burned east along the slope just north of the Trig. The local internet community was alive with speculation and panic.
It hadn’t rained properly for three years. Everyone who wasn’t in denial, knew the climate was changing. The landscape along the eastern seaboard was dry and brown. A disaster waiting to explode.
From 1 July 2019 to the end of the bushfire season on 31 March 2020, there were more than 11,400 bush and grass fires across NSW. The fires burnt 6.2 per cent of the state – the largest burnt area recorded in a single fire season in eastern Australia.
From 1 July 2019 to the end of the bushfire season on 31 March 2020, there were more than 11,400 bush and grass fires across NSW. The fires burnt 6.2 per cent of the state – the largest burnt area recorded in a single fire season in eastern Australia.
The fire season got off to an early start with fires along the Mid the NSW Mid North Coast North Coast. The first fire was reported at Lindfield Park, west of Port Macquarie in mid July.
By November the fire emergency was in full swing. It was fairly evident that summer was going to be a scorcher and with hot dry winds blowing in from the desert, anxiety was high everywhere.
Saturday 26th October 2019
The Gospers Mountain Fire was set ablaze by a dry lightning strike to the east of the Great Divide. Pushed east by the westerly wind, it burnt its way through the Wollemi National Park, jumped the Colo and Macdonald Rivers and kept on coming. In the Greater Wollombi, we knew it was coming our way.
Late November 2019
Dry lightning struck again on the 26th November. This time just 6 kilometres northwest of the Finchley Trig. Initially three fires ignited. A team of Remote Access Firefighters helicoptered in and were able to extinguish two blazes before they could take hold. Remote Access Fire Crews were winched in to cut off their advance. But the third, Gospers bad sister, Little L, persisted.
Gospers Mountain Fire had jumped the Putty Road into Yengo National Park. Now there were two fire fronts heading our way.
The Upper Yango Valley sits on the eastern boundary of Yengo NP. The valley’s western and northern boundaries are the front line.
Tuesday 3rd December 2019
Little L roared out of the gullies at Cagneys Road, hitting the ridge in an inferno before plunging downwards into the valley below. Upper Yango was on high alert. Some evacuated, some stayed, and some returned from as far away as Melbourne and Perth. The Battle for Upper Yango was about to begin.
Wednesday 4th December 2019
Everyone was busy. The fire was spreading downward, south towards Ipakey and Yango Farm at the western end of the valley up against the park and spreading east along the ridge towards Wombat Gully. The RFS were stationed at Ipakey and Woodtoff and fire captains were making repeated visits to properties, assessing the situation and giving out much needed advice. By early afternoon, the fire was working its way downhill towards the Wombat Gully homestead. The first sign of trouble was a spot fire on the driveway near the house. The main fire front was still a few hundred metres up the slope and moving slowly.
In late afternoon the community had mustered at the house with their gear and preparation were underway. By early evening the first front was in striking distance. Followed shortly after by a second and third front behind the house.
At around 10 O’clock, two Cat 1 RFS crews arrived from Oxford Falls and Ingleside on Sydney’s northern beaches.
It was a long night.
Thursday 5th December 2019
By morning the house and studio had been surrounded but was safe, as the fire continued on its way deeper into the valley, threatening to cross the creek. Up and down the northern side of the valley the fire was spreading its peril, taking fences and sheds and threatening houses.
