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Speaker 1: Joining us on the line Bushfires nties Andrew Turner, Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Andrew.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Katie, how are you.

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Speaker 1: Not too bad? Andrew? I understand a very busy weekend

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Speaker 1: for you guys and a fireban in place for today.

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Speaker 2: It certainly was. We had firefires on the go yesterday.

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Speaker 2: All of them took a fair bit to control because

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Speaker 2: of the dry and windy conditions. Those conditions are building

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Speaker 2: to a peak today and there's also expected to be

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Speaker 2: quite a bit of severe fire weather across the top

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Speaker 2: end tomorrow as well, so a period of windy, very gusty,

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Speaker 2: and very dry conditions.

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Speaker 1: Now, as I mentioned, we know the weekend was incredibly busy.

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Speaker 1: Can you talk us through the fires that our bushfires

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Speaker 1: and T crews were out to on the weekend.

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Speaker 2: Certainly yesterday we were sort of monitoring the Cane Road fire.

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Speaker 2: It's at Lambell's Lagoon and that's been continuing to put

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Speaker 2: up smoke. It's burning internal. There's wet areas that are

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Speaker 2: very very smoky, obviously, and as it gets into those

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Speaker 2: wet areas, it appears that it's doing a whole lot

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Speaker 2: more than it is. But it's well and truly behind containment.

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Speaker 2: Lines now. Yesterday morning we attended fire at Windows of

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Speaker 2: the Wetland on the floodplain adjacent to that area. Crews

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Speaker 2: took some time to bring that under control and in

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Speaker 2: the habit of escalating that getting other cruise to it.

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Speaker 2: Another fire at look About Station, four or five kilometers

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Speaker 2: away was also discovered that has caused some damage out

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Speaker 2: it look About Station and I believe it came It

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Speaker 2: looks like it's come from the road corridor there, so

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Speaker 2: on the Arnham Highway. Once again, we're monitoring that there

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Speaker 2: is an advice out about smoke on the Arnham Highway

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Speaker 2: and certainly road users should be aware of that. In

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Speaker 2: addition to that, the big fire that we're continuing to

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Speaker 2: work on it's a going fire, is that Lake Bennett.

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Speaker 2: It started somewhere on the Marrakai track yesterday and got

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Speaker 2: a pretty good move on with those very windy conditions

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Speaker 2: down towards Bachelor. Crews were on it overnight. They've established

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Speaker 2: a pretty good containment line and we will be maintaining

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Speaker 2: that activity today, actively managing the containment lines to ensure

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Speaker 2: that it doesn't come across. Finally, last night at Boundary

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Speaker 2: Road at Dalen River, there was a fire at the

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Speaker 2: local brigade down there managed took seven units i think

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Speaker 2: to bring under control, and they're monitoring that to actively

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Speaker 2: monitoring that today. They've got a couple of crews down

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Speaker 2: there and they'll stay on that.

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Speaker 1: So Andrew. At this point in time, all of those

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Speaker 1: fires are under control or at this point they're okay,

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Speaker 1: But later on this afternoon, as that wind picks up,

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Speaker 1: it could be a concern.

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Speaker 2: Again absolutely, in particular the Lake Bennett fire, that's the

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Speaker 2: one we've got most of the resources sitting on. The

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Speaker 2: expectation is that about now nine or nine point thirty

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Speaker 2: this morning, the windy conditions will start down that way.

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Speaker 2: And as I said, this is the peak of the

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Speaker 2: weather in this particular surge. It's also the strongest weather

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Speaker 2: fire weather that's been forecast to date this season by

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Speaker 2: the Bureau. So we're really spending a fair bit of

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Speaker 2: effort just making sure that we maintain our preparations down

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Speaker 2: there and have a really strong stance in case something

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Speaker 2: does start up. We're confident that the work we've done

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Speaker 2: is a pretty solid containment line, but it does require

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Speaker 2: active management, so that's the main risk down there. We're

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Speaker 2: maintaining a watching Act message for that area, just so

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Speaker 2: that especially the local residents understand there is a lot

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Speaker 2: of smoke in that area. We've got a staff member

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Speaker 2: that's traveling down to Lake Bennett now and he's going

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Speaker 2: to establish an information area at the resort down there,

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Speaker 2: and anybody that needs to ask questions about the weather

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Speaker 2: for today, where the travel where the fire has traveled

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Speaker 2: from today, and also the planned tactics for controlling that

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Speaker 2: fire are welcome to go along and see Ken.

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Speaker 1: Now, was there any will damage to property in the

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Speaker 1: fires over the weekend?

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Speaker 2: We've had some reports at it. Look about station there

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Speaker 2: was It certainly came close to a couple of assets,

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Speaker 2: and there may have been some sort of shared or

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Speaker 2: tent that was lost out that way. We're unsure of

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Speaker 2: the exact nature of what's getting lost, but that's the

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Speaker 2: only reported loss over the weekend.

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Speaker 1: And how many crews did it take really to get

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Speaker 1: those containment lines, those effective containment lines in place, and

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Speaker 1: how many volleys were required over the weekend as well, Andrew, quite.

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Speaker 2: A few volunteers were involved in the Lake Bennett fire,

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Speaker 2: and still this morning we've got three volunteer units out there.

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Speaker 2: In addition to the four or five staff that are

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Speaker 2: live on that Lake Bannett fire. As I said, last

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Speaker 2: night at Darwen River there were seven units that were

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Speaker 2: involved in managing the boundary road fire. Yesterday at Windows

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Speaker 2: of the Wetland we had our Landbell's Lagoon and the

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Speaker 2: Americai Cruise managing both the Windows and the look About

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Speaker 2: Station fire. So quite a few volunteers. Last night at

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Speaker 2: Lake Bennett we had crews from Darwen River sorry, Berry

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Speaker 2: Springs Brigade go down and assist the local Bark Brigade

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Speaker 2: down there. So yeah, volunteers traveling from a fair way

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Speaker 2: away to assist in some pretty big events. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, I hope that, you know, I hope that it

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Speaker 1: all comes down a little bit. But by the sounds

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Speaker 1: of it, today is going to be a fairly difficult

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Speaker 1: day as well. Andrew, what is the advice to any

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Speaker 1: territory in out there listening who's maybe near those areas,

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Speaker 1: lives near those areas? What can they do? What do

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Speaker 1: they need to do?

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Speaker 2: Certainly vigilance. You know, we've got crews out there and waiting.

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Speaker 2: We need to be notified when those fires do get

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Speaker 2: out of their containment line. So if you see a

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Speaker 2: fire that appears to be unmanaged, please report it to

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Speaker 2: Triple zero. It is the quickest way to get a response.

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Speaker 2: We've got a lot of crews out there and looking

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Speaker 2: we've got a fair bit of resources out there. We've

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Speaker 2: got contracted earth moving equipment and certainly specialist aircraft involved

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Speaker 2: in the effort. So the sooner we can get onto

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Speaker 2: those fires, the better will be. Importantly, this surge of

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Speaker 2: dry weather is going to last for a couple of days,

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Speaker 2: so we need to maintain that preparation for it at

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Speaker 2: least a couple more days.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, well done to you guys from Bushfires NT,

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Speaker 1: all of the staff there, but also all of those

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Speaker 1: volunteers on everybody that's been working incredibly hard over the

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Speaker 1: course of the weekend to contain those fires. And all

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Speaker 1: the best for the coming days as well.

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Speaker 2: Thanks very much, Katie, Thank.

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Speaker 1: You, no doubt we'll talk to you again soon. Andrew.

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Speaker 1: Andrew Turner there from Bushfires into