Campers in North Sydney national park lit fire: Marine Rescue
Marine Rescue NSW has scolded a group of young men who lit a campfire in a closed national park during a total fire ban on Saturday.
Hills Shire
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Hazardous weather conditions and a total fire ban didn’t stop six young men from lighting a campfire in a closed National Park in Sydney’s north on Saturday.
A crew from Marine Rescue Hawkesbury patrolling the Hawkesbury River on Saturday were waved down by the teenagers, who hiked to Gentlemans Halt camping ground in the Marramarra National Park near Canoelands in Sydney’s North on Friday night.
“Our crew was patrolling alongside National Parks, ensuring campers had left the area when they were flagged down,” a Marine Rescue NSW Spokeswoman told the Hills Shire Times.
“The crew advised the campers they were in a closed national park before noticing smoke from the campfire.
“They extinguished the fire before removing the men from the park.”
The spokeswoman said the men “recklessly risked igniting a potentially devastating bushfire”.
A crew member on board said the temperature in the area at the time was almost 50 degrees.
“They were absolute fools,” she said.
“The crew advised the men to pack up their camp and leave the park immediately but they instead asked to be transported to Kangaroo Point, where they were met by a parent.
“They said they had hiked about 10km to the campsite the previous night.”
Broken Bay Marine Police Area Command, Hornsby Police Area Command and NSWRFS were notified.
MRNSW Commissioner Stacey Tannos said the Hawkesbury volunteers had without doubt prevented the potential ignition of a serious bushfire in Sydney’s north.
“If that fire had escaped into the bush, given the high temperatures and winds, it could have started a significant blaze,” he said.
Ms Tannos said crews from Marine Rescue Hawkesbury had been working closely with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for weeks, helping to place signs advising of park closures and checking they were clear of people during extreme conditions.