Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services sent to help fight Grampians fires in Victoria
Three members of the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services (NTFES) will fly to Victoria on Saturday to help battle major fires in western Victoria. Find out who they are.
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Three members of the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services (NTFES) fly to Victoria on Saturday to help battle major fires in western Victoria.
The Victorian government on Thursday evening formally requested emergency help from all Australian jurisdictions for two major fires burning in the northern and southern parts of the Grampians, Victoria, spanning a total of 18,000 hectares.
The three incident management team members – NT Fire and Rescue Senior Station Officer Dan Kenna and Bushfires NT staff Lee Humphries and George Wilson – will have “incident management roles” alongside Queensland counterparts.
NT Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Andrew Warton, said NT crews are highly skilled and ready to support their colleagues in Victoria.
“The Northern Territory and Victoria share a strong relationship, with similar experiences in managing remote, challenging terrain and pastoral land,” he said.
“We’re more than happy to step up and assist during this critical time.
“Given the scale of the bushfire, Victoria requested additional capacity to aid in the response efforts.
“NTFES personnel, who are well-trained in incident management, will provide essential skills.
“While large fires are not uncommon in Victoria, the size and intensity of these fires at this time of year are confronting.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the fires.”
On Thursday, Grampians residents were urged to “leave now” as fires spread on several fronts.
With temperatures set to rise again on Saturday, there is concern the fires may burn for longer and cause more damage to homes.
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