Firefighters praised after busy night
Published: 21st August 2012
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have been praised for their quick work battling two serious blazes overnight.
About 2am, fire crews from Bondi, Woollahra and Randwick were called to a unit fire at Curlewis St, Bondi. Firefighters arrived to find a second-floor unit well alight and 12 people evacuated from the unit complex. One woman was taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.
Two hours later, at 4am, fire crews from Leeton responded to reports of a fire in the horse stables at Leeton Soldiers Club in southern NSW. The horse stables at the rear of the showground were fully ablaze when crews arrived shortly after the first Triple 0 (000) call.
FRNSW Commissioner Greg Mullins praised the quick work of firefighters.
“At Bondi, fire crews worked hard to contain the fire and protect nearby properties. In Leeton, firefighters’ quick thinking saved five of the horses, but sadly some had already perished,” he said.
Commissioner Mullins said it was believed that lit candles could have started the blaze in the Bondi unit.
“This serves as a warning to not be complacent when it comes to home fire safety. We’re still in the winter period, which is the deadliest time of year for house fires. The leading causes of home fires are heaters and electrical equipment/wiring (20 per cent), smoking materials (20 per cent) and matches or lighters (5 per cent). Unattended cooking is also a danger area as are candles and naked flames.”