BILL Sim’s face was left blackened with soot after he battled to extinguish the fires that broke out near his home turf on Russell Island last Thursday.
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteer, who was one of more than 110 rural fire officers recruited to help containment efforts, had worked two shifts in as many days to help douse the flames.
Mr Sims was left in visible need of rest, water and food on his lunch-break on Friday, following his morning firefighting efforts and a nine-hour shift the evening before.
It is estimated about 400 people worked together to help deliver a multi-agency response to the fires, which included 64 urban fire officers, 26 Redland City Council trained firefighters and 12 in-air operations staff, a Redland City Council spokeswoman said.
The Rural Fire Service, Queensland Fire and Rescue Services, Redland City Council, Queensland Police, State Emergency Services, Red Cross and Queensland Ambulance were the agencies involved.
More than 60 homes were threatened by the the fires, which left more than 150 hectares of scrub burnt-out.
Lee-Anna Nelson, whose home backed onto a “wall of flames”, was thankful for the efforts of all those fighting fires.
She packed her car with personal possessions for an overnight stay at a friend’s home on Thursday before returning to inspect the damage at 4am the next day.
She was relieved to see her house still standing.
“I had a huge instinct it wasn’t going to be there,” she said.
Ms Nelson delivered fresh-brewed coffee to firefighters working on Friday to help thank them for their efforts.
But she wasn’t alone – about 500 meals were delivered to those fighting fires by staff at Russell Island’s IGA.
Redland City Council mayor Karen Williams, at a public information session last Saturday, said volunteers and staff had responded to the fires in an outstanding effort.
