Oatley Park bushfire
Published: 14th February 2006
Fifty five firefighters from the New South Wales Fire Brigades and the Rural Fire Service were required to control a bushfire that burnt through six hectares of bushland reserve in Oatley Park at Oatley on 12 February 2006. The fire, which broke out shortly before 3.30 pm, forced the closure of the park and Police evacuated about 200 people.
The fire burnt for approximately three hours before it was contained, but never seriously threatened homes. West Oatley Primary School was the only property of concern and would have been at risk only if the wind changed direction. Firefighters stood by at the school just in case.
Burning in a north-easterly direction, the fire moved reasonably slowly but behaved erratically on occasions keeping fire crews challenged. Flames reached the tree canopy in some places.
Once the fire was contained crews began mopping up – a task which required a firefighting presence throughout the night.
No property was damaged and there were no injuries.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the New South Wales Fire Brigades’ Fire Investigation and Research Unit and the Police.