Heartbreak for Kiwi firefighters trying to save Australian towns surrounded by wildfires

Thursday, 14 November 2019

Scenes of the Australian wildfires captured by Kiwi firefighters.

The first New Zealand firefighters to return from fighting devastating wildfires in New South Wales say it was like working in a 'war zone'.

Southern district principal rural fire officer Timo Bierlin, of Invercargill, and deputy Hamish Angus, of Te Anau, landed in Queenstown on Thursday after eight days in Australia.

Small communities in Australia had become 'like a war zone' for Kiwi firefighters Timo Bierlin and Hamish Angus as they helped battle the area's raging bushfires.

Bierlin was based in Glen Innes, at the centre of the wildfires, where he was managing heavy machinery and equipment over 14-hour shifts.

The most harrowing day was Friday last week when two lives and dozens of homes were lost, he said.

Southern district deputy principal rural fire officer Hamish Angus and southern district principal rural fire officer Timo Bierlin have returned form eight days fighting Australian wildfires in New South Wales.

A week-long state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales. A total fire ban is in place.

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Smoke from the Gulf Road fire in Torrington fills the early morning sky on November 11, 2019, in Glen Innes, Australia.

The community had warmly welcomed the firefighters into Torrington as flames headed toward their town.

'We had a wee bit of a laugh, a wee bit of a chat but then, when the fire rolled in, it was really devastating.'

The catastrophic fire conditions have eased over much of New South Wales, but there are still dozens of bushfires burning in both New South Wales and Queensland.

A fire and rescue team inspect the damage around Torrington on November 11. Four people have died and 200 homes have been lost as bushfires burn through New South Wales and Queensland .

Homes were destroyed in less than an hour and many people lost everything they had.

'That was heartbreaking for me and an experience I will carry with me for a long time,' he said.

Angus, a veteran of several large international fires, was based nearby at Port Macquarie where he supported firefighters on the ground and worked as part of the incident management team.

It was unlike any other fire he had been involved in as it was happening in an urban environment with people around, he said.

'It's like street fighting … a war zone,' he said.

The Australian wildfires burning in New South Wales, as captured by Southern district deputy principal rural fire officer Hamish Angus.

There were fire trucks moving around, 'absolute chaos' on the radio, aircraft overhead, and tankers. The fire was burning only 20 metres away at times.

Angus said he felt humbled by the firefighters who were working in incredibly stressful situations while their own homes were only 100m from the flames.

'They were able to put that in a box and get on with the professional job they do,' he said.

The Kiwi duo said their training with Fire and Emergency New Zealand had set them up well to be part of international teams fighting fires anywhere, but the scale of the fire in Australia was huge compared to what they dealt with at home.

Four people have died and at least 300 homes have been destroyed or damaged by fires covering one million hectares in New South Wales.

The time in Australia was special for Bierlin as it was the first time the German-born New Zealander had represented his adopted country.

'I'm a Kiwi. I was representing New Zealand there and that was an experience I haven't had before.'

It was during a minute of silence on the radio at 11am on Monday that it really 'kicked in', he said.

He believed the international nature and shared experience of firefighting could 'bring the world together'.

'We are stronger together We have those resources scattered around the globe and we can go wherever it is needed and come together to fight those catastrophic events.'

The men expected to take several days to process their experience and may be called up to help in Australia again as the fires continue to burn and spread.

In the meantime they would spend time with their families, eat cheese rolls and breathe fresh air, even if some of it was affected by Australian ash and smoke.

During a visit to the incident control centre where Angus was based, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison personally apologised to him for the ash and smoke being sent to New Zealand, he said.