Linton bushfire
Encyclopedia
The Linton bushfire was a wildfire that burned through private land and state forests near the township of Linton, Victoria
, Australia
on 2 December 1998. Firefighters from the Victorian
state government's Department of Natural Resources
and Country Fire Authority
were deployed to put out the fire. At approximately 8.45pm, two firefighting appliances and their crews were entrapped and engulfed in fire following an unexpected wind change.
The coronial inquest
examining the fire and the deaths, were one of the longest-running inquests in the history of the state. The Coroner held that the two fire authorities involved (Department of Natural Resources
and Country Fire Authority
), and the lack of CFA training to volunteers contributed to the deaths. It was this inquest, that led to changes in safety operating procedures in the SA Country Fire Service
and Victorian Country Fire Authority
, relating to the Dead Man Zone
.
A memorial for the firefighters was placed in West Park, Geelong West. Another one was put in Linton, Victoria
.
Linton, Victoria
Linton is a town in Victoria, Australia off Glenelg Highway. It was first settled about 1840. The town was named after a pioneer family in an area. At the 2006 census, Linton had a population of 355. The Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary lies to the south-east of the township, near Springdallah Creek.-...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 2 December 1998. Firefighters from the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
state government's Department of Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resources
Many sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly named organization:Australia*Queensland Department of Natural Resources and MinesCanada*Natural Resources Canada*New Brunswick**New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources...
and Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
were deployed to put out the fire. At approximately 8.45pm, two firefighting appliances and their crews were entrapped and engulfed in fire following an unexpected wind change.
Accident
The crew of one of those appliances, five men from Geelong, that were all volunteers from the Geelong West CFA Station were killed.The coronial inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
examining the fire and the deaths, were one of the longest-running inquests in the history of the state. The Coroner held that the two fire authorities involved (Department of Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resources
Many sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly named organization:Australia*Queensland Department of Natural Resources and MinesCanada*Natural Resources Canada*New Brunswick**New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources...
and Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
), and the lack of CFA training to volunteers contributed to the deaths. It was this inquest, that led to changes in safety operating procedures in the SA Country Fire Service
Country Fire Service
The SA Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia in Australia. Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated whilst at the same time they are under significant risk of bushfire. Due to economics, it is prohibitively expensive for each Australian town...
and Victorian Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
, relating to the Dead Man Zone
Dead Man Zone
The Dead Man Zone is defined as the area directly around a bushfire that is likely to burn within five minutes given the current wind conditions or an anticipated change in wind direction...
.
Firefighters
The five Geelong West volunteer firefighters that died in the Linton fire were Christopher Evans, Garry Vredeveldt, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas and Matthew Armstrong.A memorial for the firefighters was placed in West Park, Geelong West. Another one was put in Linton, Victoria
Linton, Victoria
Linton is a town in Victoria, Australia off Glenelg Highway. It was first settled about 1840. The town was named after a pioneer family in an area. At the 2006 census, Linton had a population of 355. The Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary lies to the south-east of the township, near Springdallah Creek.-...
.
External links
- Geelong West Fire Brigade
- ABC's 7:30 Report transcript - Coroner's report criticises CFA for 1998 bushfire tragedy