An experienced firefighter is dead and homes have been destroyed as bushfires tore across New South Wales in early December, under conditions the state’s agencies described as catastrophic.
John Lohan, 59, died when a tree fell on him as he oversaw back-burning near Nerong on the mid-north coast, the World Socialist Web Site reported. A division commander with the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, he had worked from the Munmorah Depot for nearly 30 years.
Unusually hot early December weather, stiff winds and a fuel load accumulated across several wet years set the stage. The fires have burned an estimated 20,000 hectares so far. Roughly 1,500 firefighters and 300 vehicles were thrown at the blazes over the weekend, with more than 50 fires still burning and several not yet under control.
At Koolewong on the Central Coast, 16 homes were reduced to ash, and about 60 people from Koolewong and nearby Woy Woy were evacuated. Farther north, four more homes were destroyed around Bulahdelah. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that 250 firefighters, nine aircraft and 50 vehicles were committed to the Koolewong fire alone.
The NSW Labor government declared a natural disaster for the Central Coast, the Mid-Coast, the Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Warrumbungle and Dubbo council areas. The death followed the loss last month of Peter Curtis, a South Australian Country Fire Service firefighter who died battling a grass fire at Pinkawillinie Conservation Park; authorities are still investigating what caused his death.
Sources
- Firefighter killed, homes destroyed in Australian bushfires – World Socialist Web Site
- Tasmania Bushfires 2025: Extreme Winds, Evacuations and Homes at Risk Across Glenlusk and Dolphin Sands – Azat TV
