WA: More people may have been trapped in fire that killed three

AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2007
WA: More people may have been trapped in fire that killed three

By Liza Kappelle and Nicolas Perpitch

PERTH, Dec 31 AAP - Three men died and another was injured when an inferno engulfed
a truck convoy in the West Australian Goldfields after drivers were told it was safe to
drive through a bushfire.

Police found their bodies in two burnt-out trucks amongst a one kilometre stretch of
blackened trailers, melted aluminium and twisted metal on the Great Eastern Highway between
Southern Cross and Coolgardie about midnight.

They were among 15 trucks allowed through a roadblock at 8pm (WDT) yesterday even though
a potentially dangerous weather change was expected at 9pm (WDT).

Some drivers made it to Southern Cross, where one man is believed to have been treated for burns.

But when the fire struck the rest 75 km east of Southern Cross they were trapped.

Three died but the rest managed to unhook their trailers and flee back to Coolgardie
in their prime movers.

One was John Savage who said the speed of the fire was unbelievable.

"Within 10 seconds she swept over the top of me and I saw another truck pass me," Mr
Savage told Network Ten.

"I was on my own for about 20 minutes with my air line, my scarf, Coca Cola, just pouring
it over my head, sucking in air as much as I could."

John Goudy said the experience was "just horrible".

"You know, to think that I did a U-turn and came back past those people that were killed
makes it even worse," he told the Nine Network.

"Even when I came back 10 km from the front there was still a fireball coming back
towards them again and it was going to cut the boys off again."

Several of the drivers said the road should never have been opened.

But Deputy Police Commissioner Chris Dawson it was too early to speculate about who was to blame.

"It will be some time before we establish exactly the facts as to how the loss of life
occurred, what decisions were made in terms of vehicle movement on the highway and it
would be too early for us to speculate how and why those decisions were made," Mr Dawson
said.

The highway had been blocked on and off all throughout yesterday because of the wildfire
in part of Boorabbin National Park.

Traffic was only allowed through in convoys under police or Department of Environment
and Conservation (DEC) escort.

But at 8pm (WDT) the road was opened and the waiting trucks rolled west where the earlier
than expected weather change turned the fire towards them.

The wreckage was a scene of "absolute devastation", a Seven Network reporter told Southern
Cross Broadcasting.

"You can really see the ferocity of this fire has come through ... the people stuck
in their vehicles obviously had no chance," he said.

"There's melted aluminium sitting on the road."

WA Premier Alan Carpenter said details were still sketchy but police were investigating
for the state coroner, who will decide whether or not to hold an inquest.

"I can't imagine a worse circumstance to befall people," Mr Carpenter said.

"Three people have lost their lives, another man is injured, it is an unbelievable
circumstance that we have been confronted with, people must be grieving terribly."

Police were notifying the families of the men, all believed to be from WA.

DEC director general Keiran McNamara said the fire controller who opened the road was
very upset about his decision, made some time before 8pm after consultation with other
agencies. The time frame will be a focus of the investigation.

"Clearly with the benefit of hindsight, in this case we shouldn't have opened the road,"

Mr McNamara said.

"Opening that allowed the traffic to go through that resulted in the fatalities was
a tragic outcome but it was made with the best information and with the best judgment
in the circumstances at the time."

The road remained closed today as firefighters battled the blaze which has destroyed
more than 10,000 hectares since Friday, downing powerlines and threatening the water pipeline.

The fire is unlikely to have started due to natural causes, the DEC said.

AAP lk/cjh/mn

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES WA SECOND NIGHTLEAD

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