Lake Bennett, Darwin River communities rally to extinguish bush fires

RURAL residents are preparing to pull on their firefighting gear again today

RURAL residents are preparing to pull on their firefighting gear again today as the ongoing battle against the Top End dry season continues.

Residents have been warned it is too late to act if they aren’t ready to protect their homes from the fires and NT Fire and Rescue chief fire officer Mark Spain said they needed to activate their bushfire emergency plans.

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“With these conditions being forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology, if you have not already prepared your block, it is too late, do not do so now,” he said.

“Do not use any machinery for slashing or burning, that will create a fire. Do not weld or grind during this period.

“Make sure you check on your fellow neighbours. During this period, if you ever see any fires please report them to triple-0.”

It comes after another long day of firefighting for professionals, volunteers and residents at Lake Bennett and Darwin River, where fires reignited in the afternoon.

Darwin's rural areas have seen a series of bushfires during the NT's worst fire rating days of the past two years. More extreme fire days are expected later in the week. A bushfire threatens homes and properties in the idyllic Lake Bennett region. Multiple helicopters and volunteer fire fighting units battled the blaze for two days. Picture: Che Chorley

Lake Bennett locals and Bushfires NT crews rallied together to help save the dozens of homes, sheds and properties surrounding the popular community yesterday.

Residents left their homes, moving to the front line to work together, ensuring the fire didn’t breach into the built-up shoreline of the lake or surrounding homes and structures.

Locals were mostly concerned about houses in the hills surrounding Lake Bennett but were confident the aerial support would be enough to help manage the fire.

Collecting water from the lake itself before dumping it on the fire and at-risk parts of land, helicopters complemented backburning strategies as the crews managed the flames and the size of the fire throughout the afternoon.

Darwin's rural areas have seen a series of bushfires during the NT's worst fire rating days of the past two years. More extreme fire days are expected later in the week. A bushfire threatens homes and properties in the idyllic Lake Bennett region. Multiple helicopters and volunteer fire fighting units battled the blaze for two days. A helicopter gets water to attack the fires directly from Lake Bennett. Picture: Che Chorley

Those with vehicles did what they could, running hoses from their ute trays to their front window to allow for simultaneous driving and extinguishing.

Others turned on sprinklers and hosed down the plants and garden beds surrounding properties, hoping to spread enough moisture to reduce the impact of fire if it did reach the properties.

At Darwin River, a fire near Letchford and Meade roads restarted in an old orchard, after smouldering trees from yesterday’s fire were stoked by swirling winds.

Bushfires NT operation support manager Brian Ballinger said the crew was working to prevent reignitions over the coming days.

Darwin's rural areas have seen a series of bushfires during the NT's worst fire rating days of the past two years. More extreme fire days are expected later in the week. Darwin River volunteer bushfire brigade captain Karen Percival. Picture: Che Chorley

“We do have half-dead mango trees in this orchard so they were burning internally, and that’s obviously sparked the reignition but it was all quickly contained and we were quick to respond,” he said.

“What we’re doing now is we’ve got a machine in there and his job for the rest of the afternoon is to push all our logs right into the burnt ground and prevent them being ignited tomorrow or overnight.

“It has been a little bit nervy because of the wind chop.”

Darwin River fire captain Karen Percival said conditions had been “tough”.

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“It’s been a pretty tough day, I was here until 1 o’clock this morning and the winds have been pretty horrible but we do what we have to do because it’s what we do,” she said.

“(Thursday) is going to be catastrophic winds again, we’re looking at similar conditions right across the day. This is my second year as captain … we just have to keep on top of it.”