Lennox Head fire: Factory destroyed, home badly damaged
The blaze started in a fibreglass factory and quickly spread to a home. Find out why the Rural Fire Service immediately knew to send so many trucks.
Ballina
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A Ballina Shire business and part of a house have been destroyed in a blaze which saw the Rural Fire Service summon five local brigades.
Emergency services raced to a property on Dufficys Lane at Kinvara just west of Lennox Head about 12.30pm on Wednesday after reports a shed and house had caught alight.
Fire and Rescue and Rural Fire Service trucks from Newrybar, Alstonville, Alphadale, Lennox Head and Clunes arrived to find a shed housing a fibreglass factory and the house adjacent well involved in flame.
Northern Rural Fire Service Duty Officer onsite, Angela Daly, said the blaze started in the shed.
“The fire then moved to the weatherboard house,” Ms Daly said.
“Two bedrooms in the house were lost and Fire and Rescue assisted us so the fire didn’t progress any further.
“Luckily no one was inside at the time.”
Neighbour Mitchell Frankcom said he heard three separate vehicle engines.
“I didn’t know they were fire trucks at the time,” he said, “I thought they might have been the police because some people drive 100 km/h per hour down this street,” Mr Frankcom said.
“Turns out a car accident had occurred down the other end of the street at the same time which involved an ex-property owner who saw the smoke so he would have been interested.”
Ms Daly said the fire was brought quickly under control, thanks to help of the extra crews called to the scene.
“Because it’s rural there’s not as many water options,” she said.
“It’s better to have more crews than you need with water on board and send them away than not have enough to put the fire out.”
Ms Daly said there had been a fewer number of fires compared to this time last year, but there were “still plenty around”.
“We’re still being called to sugar cane fires and pile burns,” Ms Daly said.
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.
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