To be named as the ‘Black Summer’ bush fires, which would become the worst ever bush fire season NSW has ever seen.
26 people died, 2,448 home destroyed and more than 6 million hectares of bush land was destroyed in the blazes. On average, there were 2,500 firefighters deployed each shift, and more than 4,000 on days of increased fire danger and activity.
Unfortunately, 6 firefighters lost their lives protecting communities of NSW. Three of those being NSW RFS members and three American aerial firefighters.
Deputy Captain Geoff Keaton and Firefighter Andrew O’Dwyer were killed on shift protecting communities of the Southern Highlands at the Green Wattle Fire, on the night of 19 December 2019. A tree struck their firefighting appliance while they were driving down a local road in Balmoral, killing both instantly.
Both men each left behind a loving partner, and a young toddler.
At Deputy Captain Geoff Keaton’s funeral, i captured a number of photos that will stick in my mind forever. A brave young boy who will one day hopefully look back on these photos and know the sacrifice his father made for the communities of New South Wales.
Firefighter Samuel McPaul from the Morven Rural Fire Brigade was killed in a freak weather event while undertaking firefighting operations 70km east of Albury, on 30 December 2019.
Sam’s truck was flipped by tornado-like winds after the fire grerw so large it created its own weather system, known as a pyrocumulonimbus.
Three American firefighters were killed when their Large Air Tanker (LAT) crashed while undertaking firefighting operations west of Cooma, in the Snowy Mountains on 23 January 2020.
Gospers Mountain Fire
The Gospers Mountain fire was the biggest fire to burn within NSW, scorching a massive 512,000 hectares.
After undertaking countless interviews about the blaze, i managed to get out and witness just some of the devastation it caused. These pictures were taken around the area of Bilpin.
James L Morris 