Esperance bushfires: locals left to fight for their lives

Warnings came too late for four victims in the town of Esperance as fire conditions reached ‘catastrophic’ levels in November 2015.

Scaddan volunteer bush fire brigade captain Gavin Egan remember his mate and fellow volunteer firefighter Kym Curnow who was killed in the Esperance fires.

Warnings came too late for four victims in the West Australian town of Esperance as fire conditions described as “worse than the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria” reached the “catastrophic” threshold in November 2015.

An inquest in the south coast town to examine the deaths of ­farmer Kym Curnow and three local workers — English mechanic Tom Butcher, Norwegian cook Anna Winther and farmhand Julia Kohrs-Lichte from Germany — has heard how volunteer fire­fighters were left to tackle multiple fire fronts sweeping through bushland and tinder-dry crops, even though authorities knew fire conditions were unprecedented.

In his opening address, counsel assisting Sergeant Lyle Housiaux said fires in the Cascade district north of Esperance turned out to be the hottest grassland fire in WA’s recorded history, and possibly in Australia’s history.

He said one of the issues for Coroner Sarah Linton to consider was whether the fires, which were eventually extinguished after 11 days, could have been predicted or prevented. He said the Cascade fire’s intensity had “extensively ­incinerated” the bodies of Curnow and the three foreign farm ­workers who had tried to flee the flames.

The court heard a fire danger index rating of 250-260 was forecast for Esperance on November 17, and had been described by authorities as worse than those faced by Victorian firefighters on Black Saturday in February 2009.

Sergeant Housiaux said there were widespread fears the fire would escalate in conditions predicted to exceed the threshold for “catastrophic”, or an above-100 rating. Yet the fires ­remained at Level 1 classification, “which meant they remained under the control of the Shire of Esperance and the Volunteer Bush Fire ­Brigades”.

Local residents have long claimed that delays and confusion over responsibility for combating the fires led to the tragic loss of life. About 40 local businesses and farming families paid $100,000 for an independent report, presented to state parliament in 2016, which recommended sweeping changes in fire mitigation and response.

The court heard that just after 12.30pm on November 17, Esperance Shire formally requested that Department of Fire and Emer­gency Services should take over control of the fire operation. At 12.35pm the risk rating for grass fires was massively elevated from 110 to 233.

At 12.45pm volunteer fire­fighters were directed to evacuate the ­Cascade area but by then thick smoke made it difficult to see the edge of the road. At 1.10pm, DFES issued a “watch and act” warning that was broadcast by local media. But an emergency warning was not ­issued until 5.50pm, more than two hours after the fire reached Grigg Road where the four victims died in their cars trying to outrun the flames.

Sergeant Housiaux said about 4pm Winther and Kohrs-Lichte had got into Butcher’s Nissan ­Patrol to leave the farm. Butcher was towing a horse trailer with a friend’s horse inside.

He said it was unclear why Butcher had driven out of the driveway and turned left onto Grigg Road, a fatal decision that led straight into the path of the fire storm and caused the car and trailer to hit a tree.

Sergeant Housiaux said Mr Curnow had also driven out of the property left onto Grigg Road, and may have been going to check on his farm and family.­ “Alternatively he may have been trying to stop Mr Butcher from driving east ­towards the fire,” he said.

Curnow’s body was found in his burnt-out car 300m from Butcher’s vehicle and its three occupants.

The inquest is set down for five days.