2006 Grampians fire 20 years on

 

19 January marked the 20th anniversary of the Mount Lubra bushfire in the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park.

 

The fire was sparked by a lightning strike at Mount Lubra (now named Mount Warrinaburb), high in the Serra Ranges on the evening of 19 January 2006. On 22 January, a Total Fire Ban (TFB) was called, and hot temperatures and strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly in an easterly direction, impacting nearby towns and farmland.

CFA CEO Greg Leach AFSM was a Deputy Incident Controller at the time of the fire and had these recollections.

“It was one of the biggest fires in the Grampians National Park up until that time. The fire was managed from the Horsham Incident Control Centre. There were up to 25 Strike Teams with 500-600 CFA firefighters deployed each day shift.

January 22 was a TFB and when the gusty wind change came through, the fire made a significant run in the grasslands on the east side of the Grampians. I also recall we had several strike teams deployed into Halls Gap for township protection.” Greg said.

Also on 22 January, a man and his son tragically lost their lives on the Pomonal-Moyston Road, just two kilometres from their property.

The fire was officially contained on 3 February, but records show that it burned through 116,380 hectares, and at the time, was the worst fire to impact the region in 70 years. Approximately 47% of the national park was impacted, as well as private land to the east and southeast.

In all, 41 houses were destroyed, nine houses were damaged and stock losses totalled 65,598.

 

Submitted by	Alison Smirnoff