Howatharra bushfire brings the community closer as response praised for saving lives, homes

A bush inferno that came perilously close to more than a dozen homes in the shires of Chapman Valley and Northampton has brought the community together in a display of true camaraderie. The cause of the massive blaze, which started on Sunday morning, is yet to be determined and is still being investigated by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. It raged at an emergency level for more than 24 hours, burnt through more than 1000 hectares, destroyed 19 power poles, some farming pipes and killed about 40 sheep. Shire of Chapman Valley chief bushfire control officer Andrew Vlahov has been in the industry for 20 years and said it was the biggest blaze he had fought, but one of the best responses to date. “The response from everyone was just amazing, I think we had close to 300 people fighting the fire at the peak. That’s volunteer firefighters, farmers and career firefighters,” he said. A meeting at the Howatharra Bush Fire Brigade centre on Wednesday helped the community reflect on the incident and identify what went well and what needed improvement. Mr Vlahov said the response was near perfect. “The fire started at 10.30am (on Sunday) and by 11am we had multiple volunteers from across the region moving in with their water tanks,” he said. Heavy machinery was brought in to create fire breaks on properties to help control the blaze, an effort which stopped homes on about 14 properties from being destroyed. Mr Vlahov said though some 50km of fencing was claimed in the fire, it was the best possible outcome for a fire of this calibre. Dean Williams’ property was covered in the pink retardant, but he thanked firefighters for “”saving everything”. The fire came within metres of some houses, which were saved by fixed-wing bomber planes spraying fire retardant. DFES incident officer Ian Comben said the outcome couldn’t be attributed to luck, but the tireless and skilful work of everyone who helped fight the fires. Bushfire brigade volunteers from Waggrakine, Moonyoonooka, Cape Burney, Nabawa, Naraling, Howatharra, Yetna, Yuna and Durawah/Valentine worked tirelessly with career firefighters, community volunteers and personnel from DFES, Main Roads, Department of Communities, the City of Greater Geraldton and the shires of Chapman Valley and Northampton. City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune said the collaborative response to protect lives, properties and livestock was phenomenal and he thanked everyone involved. “Words cannot express how deeply we appreciate our bushfire brigade volunteers who give up such a considerable portion of their lives so that they are ready for these moments to stand on the frontline helping to defend our community from the ravages of nature,” he said. Mr Clune said this close call was a poignant reminder to be vigilant in the warmer months by complying with fire bans and having a bushfire plan in place.