Bushfires NT says hoons damaged Acacia Hills airstrip, putting lives and property at risk

Firefighters says the ‘senseless and infuriating act of vandalism’ significantly delayed their response to one of several out of control bushfires raging in the Territory this week.

Bushfires NT said the Acacia Hills airstrip was a primary aerial response staging location.

Firefighters have slammed vandals who they say put “lives and property at risk” after hoons damaged critical firefighting assets with burnout marks scarring an Acacia Hills airstrip.

Bushfires NT Chief Fire Control Officer and operations director Tony Fuller said the Hughes Airstrip was damaged by hoons in four-wheel drives sometime between 4pm on Friday and 9am on Sunday.

Mr Fuller said the airstrip was a primary aerial response staging location for Bushfires NT but “burnouts left a large amount of oil and debris on the strip”.

Bushfires NT says the Hughes Airstrip at Acacia Hills was damaged by hoons.

He said a fence along the Stuart Highway appeared to have been cut for the drivers to gain access to the site.

“This is a senseless and infuriating act of vandalism damage during heightened fire weather and puts aircraft, lives and property at risk,” Mr Fuller said.

“Damage to the airstrip impacts on our capacity to respond to bushfires”.

Fireys say doing burnouts on airstrips affects their ability to respond to bushfires.

Mr Fuller said the response times to a blaze at Lee Point, Buffalo Creek was “significantly increased” because of the damage to the runway.

“An assessment and rectification work is being undertaken,” he said.

Mr Fuller said it was not the first time the airstrip had been targeted and called on anyone with information to contact NT Police or Crimestoppers.