Firenado killed firefighter
The volunteer firefighter who died when his truck rolled at a NSW-Victoria border town has been named as father-to-be Samuel McPaul.
The fatal truck rollover near Jingellic on Monday night was caused by an ‘‘extraordinary weather event’’ when a ‘‘fire tornado’’ lifted a 10-12 tonne Rural Fire Service truck and flipped it onto its roof, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
‘‘As it turns out, not only did a truck get blown over, but another command vehicle in the same extraordinary weather event was blown over,’’ Fitzsimmons said.
‘‘To lose one of our own in such extraordinary circumstances is just tragic.’’
Fitzsimmons said the fire was ‘‘indicative of extraordinary fire behaviour we saw overnight and continue to see throughout this morning’’.
He said McPaul leaves behind ‘‘a beautiful wife’’, Megan, who is pregnant with their first child, due in May.
‘‘As you would expect, the family is grieving and it’s been a very difficult night – it would be fair to say I don’t even think the comprehension has set in of the enormity of the tragedy and the loss.
‘‘Megan and Sam have been married now for nearly 18 months ... so we’ve got a completely devastated family, a devastated local community; it has been an extraordinary loss.’’
Flags at fire stations will be flown at half-mast out of respect, the RFS said on social media.
‘‘Our heart goes out to everyone who knew him, who worked
‘‘To lose one of our own in such extraordinary circumstances is just tragic.’’
Shane Fitzsimmons
Rural Fire Service Commissioner
with him and we can’t explain or appreciate what his family and loved ones are going through,’’ NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
A second fire truck passenger, a 39-year-old man, was taken to Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital in a serious condition suffering burns, while the driver, 52, was taken to Holbrook Hospital, near Albury, with minor injuries and has since been released.
‘‘It’s believed the two passengers were firefighting from the refuge area behind the main cabin when the vehicle rolled,’’ NSW Police said in a statement.
Conditions along the South Coast have seen ‘‘extraordinary fire behaviour overnight, exceeding what was expected and predicted,’’ Fitzsimmon said.
He said there are reports of South Coast properties and communities
being heavily impacted.
‘‘The general advice through that area is that it is too late to leave and try access the one road in and one road out areas and certainly the Princes Highway,’’ he said.
He urged people to seek shelter in large towns or centres if it is safe to do so, but advised people in coastal villages to head to safety – ‘‘generally speaking, safety is towards the beach.’’
– Nine