Farmer warns Aussies 'we've left it too late' in dire bushfire prediction
As hot and dry weather is here to stay for the next few months, Clinton Leahy says that history is repeating itself.
An Aussie farmer who narrowly avoided losing his home in the Black Summer bushfires has made a dire prediction about the upcoming fire season.
Clinton Leahy, who runs a cattle farm on NSW’s South Coast, says that the area is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for ferocious bushfires this season. The worrisome prophecy comes just days after an inferno destroyed at least three homes, injured one person and ripped through more than 6000 hectares of bushland.
Clinton told Yahoo News Australia he felt like “history was repeating itself”.
The fire, which broke out on Tuesday near Bermagui in the Bega Valley, is the same area near Mr Leahy’s home that was devastated by the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
“We’ve had a number of hot days and strong winds. It puts people on edge,” he said.“We were five minutes away from [the fire] at my property. If the wind had changed we would have been in trouble pretty quickly.” Mr Leahy says that since 2019, not enough hazard reduction burning has been done, which has led to regrowth in the bush coming back “thicker than ever”.
“It’s like a bomb waiting to go off,” he says. “Lessons haven’t been learned. I think the local authorities like the fire brigade and forestry department want to do things but it’s the bureaucrats above that impact [the lack of action].”
Have you been affected by recent bushfires near your home? Contact News Editor Courtney Greatrex at courtney.greatrex@yahooinc.com.
Mr Leahy’s prediction matches that of NSW Premier Chris Minns who this week warned residents to "be prepared for a horror summer”.
It’s not the first time that Mr Leahy has feared for his home. On New Year’s Eve in 2019, the farmer left his property to deliver newspapers around the community when access to his property was blocked off by the fires.
“It was scary and very stressful,” he recalls. Mr Leahy wasn’t able to get home to his dogs and cattle until the next day. “I had no idea what was going on. No one could tell me anything. I stayed with friends in Bermagui that night and managed to get home the next morning.”
He says it was his neighbours who stayed put and managed to save his home from burning down.
Fatalities 'traumatise' community, more now feared
Despite his good fortune, hundreds weren’t as lucky. Close to 370 homes were lost and a further 98 damaged in the area. Father and son Robert Salway, 63, and Patrick, 29, perished in the blaze, which tore through the Bega Valley town of Cobargo.
“I knew people who lost their homes and the people who lost their lives,” says Mr Leahy.
In the aftermath, the community was rocked by what happened. “People were traumatised and shocked,” he recalls.
The community now faces a difficult few months with fears of widespread bushfires as the El Nino weather system sets in meaning that drier weather will be here to stay for the next few months and with it comes an increased bushfire risk. Weather bureaus have warned Aussies now is the time to prepare properties against the risk of bushfires. Find out more about El Nino here.
But Mr Leahy says “it’s too late” to help the community now.
“They should have done more burning off in winter,” he says. “All you can do is be prepared as best you can.’
Mr Leahy says that to prepare, he has cleared debris around the house and shed, kept grass short and has water and fire fighting pumps ready to go in case the worst happens.
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Authorities admit failures in preparation
Last month, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Rob Rogers said hazard reduction burns were “significantly behind” schedule.
Last financial year, up to 30 June, only 24 per cent of the program was completed. He added “it was similar the year before” due to the extreme rain.
“We’re significantly behind and hence, we’ll continue to do hazard reductions as long as it’s safe,” he said.
Across the country, other fire services are facing similar challenges ahead of the season.
In Queensland, one of the most high-risk states in the country, concerns are being raised over the declining numbers of volunteers available to fight the likely catastrophic blazes.
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