Three RFS firefighters hurt after tree falls on truck at Orroral Valley fire south of Canberra
A firefighting crew battling the Orroral Valley fire near Canberra has narrowly avoided tragedy after a tree fell on their truck overnight.
Canberra Star
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Three firefighters have been injured, while another has escaped unharmed, after a tree fell onto their truck in the Namadgi National Park south of Canberra.
The crew was working to slow the spread of the 15,000-hectare Orroral Valley blaze late on Wednesday night when they narrowly avoided disaster.
The four men jumped out of their truck mere moments before the tree came crashing down, leaving the tanker with significant damage.
The three firefighters only suffered minor injuries, which ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan described as “nothing life threatening”.
All four firefighters, including the uninjured man, were taken by ambulance to the Canberra Hospital for assessment.
Other crews were withdrawn from the fireground following the accident.
Firefighters had been using a break in the weather to backburn the dangerous bushfire before conditions deteriorate further.
Smoke from the blaze, south of Canberra, continued to linger over the capital on Thursday morning.
Authorities have warned it is the most serious blaze the capital has faced since the deadly 2003 bushfires, which destroyed almost 500 homes and led to four deaths.
The Orroral Valley fire was started by a defence helicopter’s landing light after it landed in Namadgi National Park while on a reconnaissance mission.
There is a “very high” fire danger rating in place for the ACT on Thursday, with temperatures forecast to reach as high as 38C.
The Orroral Valley blaze has been downgraded to an advice-level bushfire warning.
Nearby residents are being urged to remain vigilant and monitor conditions, while visitors have been directed to stay away.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted increasingly challenging fire weather over the coming weekend, driven by extremely high temperatures and low humidity.