When an aerial tram operator gets killed, a firefight ensues in the mountains of Australia
When a firefighter gets injured and taken to the hospital, the next day a helicopter arrives to help him.
When a helicopter lands on a road that has been completely engulfed by fire, it takes the lives of four people, one of whom died.
But on the mountain tops, that is not the case.
The mountain top firefighting operations centre at the remote Mount Lasset National Park has had more than 300 firefighting calls over the past four days.
The centre is part of a nationwide response to the mountain fire.
It is one of the few places on earth where a helicopter can land, fire trucks can move and fire crews can get the job done, said Mount Ladd Fire and Rescue Manager Peter Maclaren.
He said the mountain is a remote location, and the area was still very remote, so it was very difficult to put in a fire truck.
“It’s the remote part of Australia that is going to be at the greatest risk,” Mr Maclarens said.
“The weather, the wind, the altitude and the fire season are all factors that will dictate the weather and fire season.”
We’ve had to get a lot of fire trucks and equipment from all over the world, and we’ve had a lot more than we’ve wanted.
“Firefighting operations is a very dangerous job, but we’ve got to do it.”
Mr Maclaryns said the remote nature of the area made it a tough job for a fire service to do the job, so he was trying to get the best equipment.
“A lot of these equipment are expensive, they are very heavy, they weigh up to 20 tonnes,” he said.
“But the equipment we use is very lightweight and we have been able to keep up with the demand, and to provide the support that the helicopter does, which is very, very important to us.”
Mount Lassett Fire and Fire Protection Authority Director Ian Williams said the Mount Latterell fire had taken out the town of Wodonga.
“There is no doubt that the town has been devastated, but Wodogonga has also been devastated,” he told the ABC.
“The town has seen a lot in the fire, but it’s really the people that are devastated.”
If we could just get everyone home safely and get the town back to normal, then that would be a good outcome.
“Firefighters will continue to work in the area to get firefighters back to the ground, and help out with the rescue operations.”
People are really, really looking forward to it,” Mr Williams said.
Topics:fires,environment,fires,human-interest,alp,rescue-and-rescue,mount-lasset-3155,nsw,australiaContact Chris WilliamsMore stories from New South Wales