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THE BAROSSA VALLEY LARGELY ESCAPES DEVASTATING MID-NORTH FIRES - 26 November, 2015
Raging fires whipped by winds to 90kph wrought devastation to cropping lands, farms and homes through outer agricultural northern regions of Adelaide’s expanding peri-urban areas yesterday, but despite early fears that the fires would tear into its heartland, the Barossa was largely spared.
At the height of the emergency late Wednesday afternoon, warnings were being issued that the fire might reach as far as Lyndoch, Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston.
But while assessments are still being made, it appears that apart from northern cropping lands bordering Seppeltsfield, Greenock and the outer western reaches of Nuriootpa, the Barossa wine region escaped largely unscathed - miraculously, given the wild rage of the fire and the winds which created a massive, moving fireball that at its height, no firefighting could stop - or indeed, no prediction could be made as to where it might be pulled up.
Tragically two people died while others are still missing or injured in an inferno which wrought unspeakable devastation to cropping lands, farms and homes alike in the flatlands west and north of Gawler.
Having experienced a couple of major fire events - Ash Wednesday and Sampson Flat - we at Barossa News On Line can do nothing other than to extend our deepest sympathies to those families who have lost loved ones and those who have lost properties and livelihoods in this new horror.
The Sampson Flat fire in January 2015 was its own nightmare, burning as it did, for the most part, in hilly, scrubby terrain - but this ‘Pinery’ fire (as it is named due to its geographic starting point) will become known as perhaps the fastest-moving fire (in terms of its speed and rate-of-spread) in South Australia’s contemporary bushfire history.
While the Sampson Flat fire had its own peculiarities, it was a sustained fire over many days: This Pinery fire was a massive explosion, most of the damage it wrought happening over just a few short hours.
The Country Fire Service (CFS) and other emergency services did their best but in reality could do little to fight a fire which moved at lightning speed through crop, stubble and grasslands. This was a fire which within its first hours was beyond any efforts by man to control.
At the height of the fire, threats to the heartland of the Barossa were very real - and for a while, images of jet black smokey skies over vintage crops brought double worry -- was the family safe - and please, don’t let this fire affect our livelihood!
This image over the south eastern area of the Barossa was taken at the fire’s peak at approximately 1600 hrs, and shows the black of the fire’s smoke boiling over the Barossa - a vista reminiscent of an approaching thunderstorm but which represented the bitter remnants of our western neighbours’ valuable wheat crops.
Raging fires whipped by winds to 90kph wrought devastation to cropping lands, farms and homes through outer agricultural northern regions of Adelaide’s expanding peri-urban areas yesterday, but despite early fears that the fires would tear into its heartland, the Barossa was largely spared.
At the height of the emergency late Wednesday afternoon, warnings were being issued that the fire might reach as far as Lyndoch, Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston.
But while assessments are still being made, it appears that apart from northern cropping lands bordering Seppeltsfield, Greenock and the outer western reaches of Nuriootpa, the Barossa wine region escaped largely unscathed - miraculously, given the wild rage of the fire and the winds which created a massive, moving fireball that at its height, no firefighting could stop - or indeed, no prediction could be made as to where it might be pulled up.
Tragically two people died while others are still missing or injured in an inferno which wrought unspeakable devastation to cropping lands, farms and homes alike in the flatlands west and north of Gawler.
Having experienced a couple of major fire events - Ash Wednesday and Sampson Flat - we at Barossa News On Line can do nothing other than to extend our deepest sympathies to those families who have lost loved ones and those who have lost properties and livelihoods in this new horror.
The Sampson Flat fire in January 2015 was its own nightmare, burning as it did, for the most part, in hilly, scrubby terrain - but this ‘Pinery’ fire (as it is named due to its geographic starting point) will become known as perhaps the fastest-moving fire (in terms of its speed and rate-of-spread) in South Australia’s contemporary bushfire history.
While the Sampson Flat fire had its own peculiarities, it was a sustained fire over many days: This Pinery fire was a massive explosion, most of the damage it wrought happening over just a few short hours.
The Country Fire Service (CFS) and other emergency services did their best but in reality could do little to fight a fire which moved at lightning speed through crop, stubble and grasslands. This was a fire which within its first hours was beyond any efforts by man to control.
At the height of the fire, threats to the heartland of the Barossa were very real - and for a while, images of jet black smokey skies over vintage crops brought double worry -- was the family safe - and please, don’t let this fire affect our livelihood!
This image over the south eastern area of the Barossa was taken at the fire’s peak at approximately 1600 hrs, and shows the black of the fire’s smoke boiling over the Barossa - a vista reminiscent of an approaching thunderstorm but which represented the bitter remnants of our western neighbours’ valuable wheat crops.
We hold our collective breath that those still missing are found and that the CFS, aided by firefighting teams streaming in from interstate, will be able to quickly contain what spot fires remain - before the temperature (and the fire risk!) rises again next week.
But like the Sampson Flat fire and the countless other fires which have caused loss of life and property over decades, the emotional scars of this Pinery fire will burn on - and on... and on.
Let us fervently hope that this is the last fire for this summer. In reality however, we know it will not be.
But like the Sampson Flat fire and the countless other fires which have caused loss of life and property over decades, the emotional scars of this Pinery fire will burn on - and on... and on.
Let us fervently hope that this is the last fire for this summer. In reality however, we know it will not be.
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Barossa fire and emergency services practice the unthinkable - September 2015
Lazy Saturday morning shopping and coffee'n'cake in Nuriootpa was shattered on Saturday September 5 - but all for a good cause.
Beckwith Park on the outskirts of the town became a huge exercise and training ground as the CFS, MFS, Police and other emergency services support teams practised to fight a fire they all hope will never happen - a large structure and chemicals fire at one of the Valley's many wineries and industrial complexes. Incident Co-ordinator, Tony Whitehorn from the CFS's Region 2 Headquarters, said it was important to see how complex fire-fighting plans worked out on paper between all the services, actually worked in practice. Hear from Tony below as he outlines the exercise and its success..... |
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