- 2001 Warragamba bushfires
The 2001 Warragamba
bushfires occurredChristmas Day ,December 25 2001 in the smallNew South Wales town ofWarragamba , leaving 30 homes and businesses destroyed.The bushfires in Warragamba were part of the longest official continuous bushfire emergency in NSW taking place between
December 21 2001 andJanuary 13 2002 and spreading across the state. Most of these fires were caused bylightning orarsonists . The fire behaviour was unusual in many areas due to extreme dryness of fuel and variable winds. The initial destruction in Warragamba and theHawkesbury River area prompted anatural disaster declaration by the State Government. [http://www.ema.gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf/00ed8726e14caddfca256d09001da856/b976c92612364519ca256d330005af22?OpenDocument]On
Christmas Day of 2001 over four thousand firefighters were battling over one hundred blazes across the state. A band of fire running fromCampbelltown, New South Wales east to the coast was the firefighters main concern. This was the firefront that caused the damage to Warragamba and neighbouring townSilverdale, New South Wales as the fire sped sixtykilometres in six hours from the Lower Blue Mountains to the coast aroundHelensburgh, New South Wales . [http://australianweathernews.com/news/2001/12/20011226.htm]Many local residents of the townships under threat battled the fires with garden hoses, as there were not enough fire-fighters.One resident, Father John Evans battled to save the local parish church, only to see his own house burn down. [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2001/s448524.htm]
Hundreds of people were forced into an
emergency evacuation from Warragamba. [http://australianweathernews.com/news/2001/12/20011226.htm]The initial loss of
electricity affected 4,500 homes in Warragamba and surrounding areas. The local electricity supplier, Integral Energy estimated the cost in the Warragamba and surrounding areas at 3 million dollars. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200112/s448875.htm]On
December 26 2001 , the day after the fires swept through the town, Prime MinisterJohn Howard visited the town and praised the work ofvolunteer firefighters . [http://australianweathernews.com/news/2001/12/20011226.htm]
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