MP blast backfires

By SIMON BENSON

16jan02

THE senior Coalition MP accusing fire authorities of negligence has burned down two hectares of state forest, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

Andrew Fraser, the Coalition's special adviser on rural affairs, last night admitted he had been careless and wished it had never happened.

"It was an accident. I can understand why people might be upset," the National Party MP said.

Seven rural fire brigade units and 25 volunteers were called to the incident late last year when Mr Fraser tried to burn off a paddock on his Coffs Harbour property.

The incident, which has angered senior fire authorities, comes after revelations that more than 20 per cent of fires in national parks are started on private property or other lands - many from burn-offs.

Only 4 per cent of fires every year in NSW occur in national parks.

An incident report, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, show the fire on Mr Fraser's property escaped into the Lower Bucca State Forest, destroying 2ha.

"I blame the wind change," Mr Fraser said last night.

"I lit the fire in the morning against my normal better judgment . . . I had a meeting in the afternoon and I would normally do that sort of thing late in the day. It taught me a very valuable lesson.

"My carelessness was lighting the fire in the morning.

"I would love for it not to have happened. I would have loved to have not called the rural fire service out, but these things happen."

But volunteer firefighters are outraged that Mr Fraser has accused them and the National Parks and Wildlife Service of not conducting enough hazard reduction to prevent the Christmas bushfire crisis.

Rural Fire Services Commissioner Phil Koperberg, when pressed for a comment last night, said: "The incident has come to my attention in the past few days.

"Given the difficulties volunteers have to face on a daily basis, I am disappointed that someone who purports to be aware of the hazards, would allow a situation to develop where property was endangered and volunteers were called to suppress a fire."

The outspoken MP has led the charge of recent criticism of Mr Koperberg and the NPWS, claiming it was "negligent" for not doing enough hazard reduction.

He has also accused that the RFS should have done more as well.

Last night, a senior volunteer firefighter who attended the fire said it had been left unattended.

"[Mr Fraser] left the fire unattended and went in and got a cup of coffee," the senior officer said.

"If there wasn't full crews down there it would have got off right through the state forest.

"It could have been a lot worse . . . it was lucky that there were two brigades doing a hazard reduction burn nearby and we called them in for help.

"We threw everything we had at it."

Mr Fraser and his 15-year-old son started the burn-off which he claimed he was required to do by law.

Mr Fraser said he asked his wife to make an emergency call to the Rural Fire Service when they realised it was out of control.

The incident was reported to the Rural Fire Service at Coffs Harbour at 11.04am on August 4, 2001.

The report concluded: "Owners burning off pile of logs/trees. Fire escaped into grassy paddock and some state forest."

Fire units were called to the emergency from four brigades in the region, including Bucca, Coramba, Nana Glen and Moonee.

The first units arrived at 11.17am and battled the blaze until 2.32pm.

Mr Fraser did not required a permit for the burn-off.

"It is our dry season and the wind was blowing from the northwest," said another volunteer who attended the fire.

"I would say it was an act of gross negligence.

"I would not have been putting a match near anything on a day like that.

"He should have known better."