It pays to live next door to a retired firey; neighbour praised for heroic act
Retired firefighter Warren Rogers leapt to action as a fire encroached, saving his home and his neighbours, putting out spot fires.
Retired firefighter Warren Rogers has been at the forefront of many daunting fires, but a fierce blaze that ignited at North Rothbury this week was one of the worst.
“Black smoke, just completely black, everything was black,” Mr Rogers said.
“Flames were starting to come across the main road, up the road and red hot embers everywhere.”
A local resident for 53 years, Mr Rogers is one of the founding members of the North Rothbury bush fire brigade in 1968.
Despite desperate attempts by police to evacuate everyone, the 20-year service medal recipient and life member, made the decision to stay and fight.
“I don’t think you had time to panic because you were trying to save your house,” he said.
“It happened within seconds.”
With one hose going at the front of his house and another at the back, plus running between the neighbours, he had his hands full.
But he was determined not to let the fire win.
“At the neighbours’ there were spot fires in their yard, and I managed to get that out,” Mr Rogers added.
“Then I looked around and my yard was on fire and I managed to get that out.
“I just kept going, kept watering the house down.
“That’s just what you do.”
Neighbour Jack Haszard was at work when the fires erupted and got home in time to help his partner Jess get the dogs and leave.
“I got up the road and realised the fires were right across from us and police were turning cars away and I wasn’t even allowed to come to the property,” Mr Haszard recounted.
“Jess was there a couple of minutes before me and she managed to get our dogs out, that’s what we were coming back for, we had everything else and we got out.
“At that stage I could see flames up the top of the trees.”
The couple returned at 6pm and thanks to Mr Rogers, their home was saved.
“He’s a hero,” he said.
“I spoke to Warren and told me how he had to put them out, going back and forth from his house to ours.
“We bought him over a box of chocolates, we were going to buy him a beer but he doesn’t drink.”
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