Disaster changed fire management

Residents and those directly involved in fighting bushfires which ravaged Margaret River’s coast 10 years ago, garnering world attention, have reflected on the disaster as the anniversary looms next week. Almost universally, volunteer firefighters said the twin fires which destroyed more than 50 homes and damaged more than 100 were significant growing pains for the region, forcing authorities and residents to confront the reality of bushfire danger for those living outside the metropolitan area. And the disaster could have been much, much worse. The fires were first reported as out of control on a windy Tuesday afternoon, November 22, 2011, sparked by ignition fuses dropped via helicopters by the State Government’s Department of Environment and Conservation trying to reduce dangerous fuel loads along the coast near Kilcarnup. In the aftermath of the disaster, DEC would rebrand itself the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the State Government, through the Department of Fire and Emergency Services poured unprecedented funding into its Capes Enhancement Strategy. It was, ironically, local knowledge which helped avert a much worse disaster. At a town hall meeting on day two of the bushfires, then-South West police Supt Laurance Panaia addressed a packed cultural centre and said the bushfire was contained to the region’s north. Meanwhile, the Times was fielding panicked calls from volunteer firefighters urging the newspaper to use its new Facebook page to warn residents. “The fire has jumped the river,” one vollie said. “If anyone’s around The Break in Gnarabup, tell them to get out — or they’re dead.” The fires bore down on Gnarabup, nearly destroying The White Elephant Cafe, and claimed chalets and houses along the coast from Isaacs Ridge overlooking the river. Supt Panaia was as much a victim as anyone of the slow flow of information, with the DEC’s information-vetting process meaning alerts coming out through its media section were hours old by the time they aired. The police chief also had the grim task of later informing residents the historic riverfront Wallcliffe House had been completely destroyed by the fires, despite its state-of-the-art fire-suppression system. The collective gasp from residents at that news in the cultural centre that day led to tears, frustration and eventually anger — and a class action lawsuit — from property owners who felt the State Government was ultimately responsible for the destruction of their homes. DBCA has not since sought to reduce fuel loads on that coastal strip affected by the 2011 fires, leading to an ironic situation that regrowth and rejuvenation since then means fuel loads are again worryingly high. There is a message DFES and Shire of Augusta-Margaret River bushfire chiefs have reinforced ever since: residents can’t expect volunteer firefighters to put their lives on the line to protect homes which owners haven’t prepared. properly for the next disaster. Bushfire-readiness plans, including deciding whether to stay and defend or flee at once, are now considered essential responsibilities for anyone living west of Bussell Highway — if not everyone in the region. While those fires blazed, and senior residents were evacuated from aged-care homes in the Margaret River town centre, tales of heroism underscored the reality of a major threat averted — and one volunteers never want to confront again.