Police investigate cause
Published Date: 23 Jan 2013
Summary
The Young Witness
A police investigation has been launched into the cause of the grass fire that swept through 12 kilometres of land in 20 minutes and threatened the township of Boorowa last Friday.
As is usual in any fire when the cause is unknown, Rural Fire Service investigators and police are working to establish how the fire ignited.
According to police, staff members at Watershed Stud were the first to discover the fire on the property and attempted to extinguish it.
However, the fire spread quickly due to wind and dry conditions and was unable to be contained.
A total of 180 RFS volunteers, supported by aircraft and Fire and Rescue NSW, worked over three days to eventually contain the blaze on Saturday. Police said one rural fire officer was taken to Boorowa District Hospital and received treatment for radiant burns to his left and right hands.
As of 2pm yesterday, the operation was handed back over the local authorities who will monitor the fire over the next three to four days until it's fully extinguished.
"The ground crews complimented with aviation support worked really well to prevent losses and contain the fire on a really bad day," he said.RFS South West Slopes zone manager Andrew Dillon said there was no structure loss during the fire but there was a significant loss of fencing.
The RFS and the Livestock Health Pest Authority said around 40 to 42 sheep had been reported lost but that the number could rise.
