Bushfire probe: too early to say if negligence a factor in State Mine blaze
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Version 0 of 1. Fire chiefs say it's too early to tell if negligence was a factor in a defence training exercise which started a massive blaze in the NSW Blue Mountains and Lithgow. An investigation by the rural fire service (RFS) has found explosives training on army land at Marrangaroo on 16 October sparked the State Mine bushfire, which has burnt out more than 46,000 hectares around Lithgow. Deputy fire commissioner, Rob Rogers, declined on Thursday to speculate on whether as a result, defence protocols needed to change. He said it wasn't known exactly what went wrong. "When fires start, where there's human intervention, there's carelessness and then there's just simply accidents happening," he told reporters at Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains. "I think it would be prejudging to suggest there was any sort of negligence." Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said whatever defence did to start the fire, it was clearly unintentional and that "no conspiracy" was involved. He defended his agency's immediate response to the blaze, which destroyed three homes last week. "The fire occurred on a live firing range ... you can't send firefighters or fire trucks into a live firing range," he said. "Nor can you put aircraft above or into close proximity to assist in water bombing. "Firefighters were working in and around the army range with a view to try to deal with that fire the day before it ran." Fitzsimmons said conditions last Wednesday didn't necessitate total fire bans and "activities on live firing ranges are a matter of routine". He said he didn't know how many hours the fire burned before the RFS was able to work on it. The Department of Defence says it's aware of the allegations concerning the fire's source and is conducting its own investigation. Acting defence minister George Brandis says he's spoken to the acting chief of the defence force, air marshal Mark Binskin, about the matter. "The Australian government and the Australian defence force take this issue very seriously and continue to fully co-operate with the NSW authorities, including the NSW police, who are investigating the fire," Brandis said in a statement. Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill says the fires have done significant damage to his community, and is demanding the army explain why the explosives exercise went ahead on a dry and windy day. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |