The Age
MANSFIELD, Australia — Fire authorities underestimated the strength of a bushfire in Victoria’s high country last year that enveloped a contingent of 45 New Zealand firefighters, an investigation has found.
Eleven of the firefighters suffered burns from the intense heat of the blaze as it passed over them after they took cover in a gully on December 16 last year near Mansfield in the state’s northeast.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) chief fire officer Ewan Waller said the Kiwis’ training and experience, their good leadership and proper equipment helped save their lives.
Full Story: Kiwis hurt after ‘underestimating fire’