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Speaker 1: Now we know that there is obviously the twenty four

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Speaker 1: hour fireban period in place for today. It is for

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Speaker 1: Darwin and Adelaide River fire for weather forecast areas. Now

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Speaker 1: joining me in the studio to talk further about this

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Speaker 1: and also some of those fires that our firees have

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Speaker 1: indeed been fighting to control over the last few days.

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Speaker 1: Is the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service Deputy Chief

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Speaker 1: Fire Officer Stephen Seool.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Steven, Good morning Katie. How are you?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, Thank you so much for your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. I know it's a pretty busy time for

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Speaker 1: you guys for our fires.

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Speaker 2: Just talk us through.

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Speaker 1: Firstly, obviously we've got this twenty four our fireban period

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Speaker 1: in place. What are the conditions looking like today?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, continue to be the same as yesterday's situation and

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Speaker 3: that will continue on for Wednesday and Thursday. It's highly

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Speaker 3: likely that conditions will ease on Friday.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Well, that is good to hear, and is it

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Speaker 1: mostly that wind that sort of makes it more difficult.

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Speaker 3: Wind always makes it difficult, but yeah, there's a lot

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Speaker 3: of dry air that's coming up with that.

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Speaker 1: So that fire for today, it includes Darwin, Adelaide River

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Speaker 1: and Bachelor emergency response areas, as well as the Litchfield

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Speaker 1: Municipality and Kumali Shire, and so for our firefighters and

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Speaker 1: also for our volunteers, I'm assuming out there with bushfires

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Speaker 1: into anticipating that that's going to probably continue for most

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Speaker 1: of the week.

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Speaker 3: Correct. Yeah, Like I said Thursday, we can pretty much

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Speaker 3: put our thumb on it and say that it will

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Speaker 3: definitely be severe conditions and they will ease on Friday seven.

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Speaker 1: It's been a really busy few days for our fieries.

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Speaker 1: I know it is always busy, but yesterday there was

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Speaker 1: that situation as well on Kirkland Road and Tiger Brennan.

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Speaker 1: It was a fairly significant fire, wasn't it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Correct, Once a fire takes hold and it starts to

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Speaker 3: burn with wind, then it will run. And that's exactly

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Speaker 3: what we saw yesterday.

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Speaker 2: Do we have it? The idea is sort of how

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Speaker 2: big an area it was impacting.

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Speaker 3: Well, it went all the way from Durak down Kirkland

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Speaker 3: and Tiger brewn And Corridor. It then crossed wish Art

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Speaker 3: Road and it took out all that area there that

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Speaker 3: locals know as Barrama Hill where the bomb infrastructure is

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Speaker 3: Barama fire Station right the way to Barrama Road and

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Speaker 3: it even crossed Barrama Road heading towards Hidden Valley.

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Speaker 2: Wow. Was there much damage? Cause much any structures damaged?

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Speaker 2: I likeily No.

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Speaker 3: So we did order an evacuation for those President premises

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Speaker 3: along wish Art Road, all those factories and that there,

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Speaker 3: just because we were concerned for their safety and we

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Speaker 3: weren't entirely sure if we could get crews there.

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Speaker 2: Is that something that you have to do very often.

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Speaker 1: I sort of can't recall an area being evacuated for

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Speaker 1: quite some time.

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Speaker 3: No, that's correct, Katie, but just without the eyes on

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Speaker 3: to actually do it. With those conditions, it was extremely

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Speaker 3: thick smoke and we couldn't guarantee their safety.

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Speaker 1: How many fieries did it take to be able to

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Speaker 1: get that one under control?

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Speaker 3: So we had thirty two firefighters on the ground. So

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Speaker 3: we had the assistance of Bushfires in t and they

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Speaker 3: came to the rescue. Once again, they had their aviation support,

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Speaker 3: so there was five planes flying and two helicopters that

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Speaker 3: were observing the fires and they also assisted with ground crews.

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Speaker 3: So six ground crews came in.

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Speaker 1: And how long did it take you to get that

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Speaker 1: one under control.

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Speaker 3: It went until approximately nineteen hundred last night.

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Speaker 2: Oh goodness me, that is a busy day. I mean,

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Speaker 2: it's tough conditions for you guys out there, isn't it. Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Correct. And then obviously we have to relieve crews and

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Speaker 3: everything like that. Our volunteers all came in as soon

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Speaker 3: as they could, either from knocking off work or what

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Speaker 3: have you. All were released from work and they attended

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Speaker 3: as soon as they could.

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Speaker 1: So when you say there was thirty two firefighters, does

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Speaker 1: that include those volunteers or is that yep?

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Speaker 3: Correct? So everyone that was available to assist was there.

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Speaker 3: The only crews that we didn't have there was Darwen

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Speaker 3: crew so and those six firefighters were solely responsible for

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Speaker 3: looking after the rest of dar one.

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Speaker 2: Now, how so six of them, did you say? Yeah?

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Speaker 2: Goodness may it's a big job for them as well.

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Speaker 1: Luckily it doesn't sound like there was anything else that

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Speaker 1: they had to be too concerned about.

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Speaker 3: Luckily.

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Speaker 2: No.

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Speaker 3: But it only takes one accident or a fire alarm

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Speaker 3: to go off because of all the smoke that was produced,

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Speaker 3: and then those crews are then tied up with that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah wow.

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Speaker 1: Now, in terms of that fire at Kirkland at Kirkland

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Speaker 1: Road and along Tiger Brenner and yesterday, is it still

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Speaker 1: smoldering at the moment?

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Speaker 3: Correct? It is, and it will probably off gas like

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Speaker 3: well through the day. And there is chance that there

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Speaker 3: will be sparking from some of those logs or whatever

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Speaker 3: in there. You've passed us by or whatever, see a

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Speaker 3: plum of smoke or whatever, just to call.

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Speaker 2: It in to the cool center, Okay.

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Speaker 1: So realistically, if they if they see some fire out there,

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Speaker 1: they need to get in contact with you guys.

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Speaker 3: If it's in fresh area, if it's inside the burnt area,

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Speaker 3: then that's okay. Yeah, Orus will be monitoring.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.

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Speaker 1: I know there was also a watch and act today

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Speaker 1: for Litchfield Park.

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Speaker 2: Now that doesn't fall under your area, does.

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Speaker 3: That no bushfires NT will be all over that okay?

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Speaker 1: So bushfires NT obviously onto that one. Now, then when

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Speaker 1: you talk about the Warehouse fire that we've spoken about

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Speaker 1: pretty extensively this morning with the Department of Health, how

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Speaker 1: things going there?

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Speaker 2: Is it still smoldering yep?

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Speaker 3: So Cruiser is still maintaining a firewatch on that fire.

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Speaker 3: The excavators should be in to start to pull part

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Speaker 3: that structure. So that we can get to the seed

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Speaker 3: of the fire and make sure that there is nothing

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Speaker 3: still burning under there, and investigators we'll still pick through

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Speaker 3: the road.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So is that expected to probably happen today?

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Speaker 3: Is that correct?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Are you able to tell us, because I know we've

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Speaker 1: had a few people asking, and I don't know whether

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Speaker 1: you can, but whether that warehouse had had a adequate

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Speaker 1: fire retardant or whether there was sprinklers inside there. I

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Speaker 1: know that that's been a question that some of our

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Speaker 1: listeners have been sort of raising.

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Speaker 2: I don't know whether you have any insights.

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Speaker 3: I have no insight.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So it does sound as though it's a busy

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Speaker 1: time at the moment for our fieries. Are the conditions

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Speaker 1: that we're experiencing at the moment out of the ordinary

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Speaker 1: in any way? Or is it what we usually would

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Speaker 1: anticipate at this time of the year.

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Speaker 3: This is normal territory conditions, yes.

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Speaker 2: And just having to having to manage it all.

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Speaker 1: I spos Well, we really appreciate your time this morning, Steve,

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Speaker 1: and I appreciate you coming in.

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Speaker 2: I know it's probably been.

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Speaker 1: Incredibly long few days for you and for the fieries

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Speaker 1: out there fighting those fires. So thank you very much

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Speaker 1: for coming in and having a.

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Speaker 2: Chat with us.

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Speaker 3: No worries, Katie. And if I can just say right

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Speaker 3: from the community, from like everyone within the in TFRs, like,

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Speaker 3: we appreciate the work that our firefighters do, our volunteers,

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Speaker 3: and also the assistants that we get from Bushwise, inta.

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Speaker 3: So they do a great job. I do think sometimes

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Speaker 3: it goes a little bit unrecognized, but yeah, if passes

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Speaker 3: by or whatever, I can make sure that they've got

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Speaker 3: their lights on, that they slow down, they don't enter

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Speaker 3: any smoky conditions and cause further accidents. That'd be a

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Speaker 3: great benefit to my crews.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, good advice and really sage advice, I think for

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Speaker 1: everybody listening this morning, because there has been so much

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Speaker 1: smoke about. You know, there's so much happening for our

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Speaker 1: firefighters and our volunteers. So a big thank you to

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Speaker 1: all of you for the work that you've done in

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Speaker 1: terms of keeping the community safe as well. I mean

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Speaker 1: that fire yesterday, it did seem like a you know,

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Speaker 1: to a normal person like me, it seemed like a

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Speaker 1: pretty frightening situation. And our firefighters and volunteers have to

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Speaker 1: enter those days dress situations to make sure the rest

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Speaker 1: of us can stay safe, So thank you

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Speaker 2: Thanks very much for your time this morning.