Additional firefighting aircraft arrive to help fight major WA bush fires

5 February 2015 (UPDATED 11 February 2015) – copyright David Eyre

Major bush fires burning at Northcliffe in the southwest of WA and at Boddington south of Perth, together with a number of smaller fires in other locations, have used up all of Western Australia’s firefighting resources.

Extra firefighting aircraft have been flown in to help:

• VH-IWU / BOMBER 716 Air Tractor AT-802A (MSN 802A-0558) of R & M Aircraft Pty Ltd (operated for Tasmania Fire Service): Arrived at Manjimup on ??. Photographed operating from Manjimup on 8 & 9 February 2015.
• VH-XAU / BOMBER 255 Air Tractor AT-802 (MSN 802-0137) of Kennedy Aviation (operated for NSW Rural Fire Service): Arrived at Jandakot Airport on ?? Photographed operating from Jandakot on 7 February 2015.
• VH-XAV / BOMBER 266 Air Tractor AT-802 (MSN 802-0377) of Kennedy Aviation (operated for NSW Rural Fire Service): Arrived at Jandakot Airport on ?? Photographed operating from Jandakot on 7 February 2015.
• VH-XAY / BOMBER 299 Air Tractor AT-802 (MSN 802-0176) of Kennedy Aviation (operated for NSW Rural Fire Service): Arrived at Manjimup or Jandakot on ??.
• N130FF / BOMBER 390 / TANKER 131 Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules (MSN 382-4901, ex 161495) of Coulson Aviation: Arrived at Perth Airport from Avalon on 5 February 2015, and later the same day flew to RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth. Flew first mission 6 February 2015. Later operated from Pearce to Busselton, flying operations from Busselton and returning to Pearce each night. Departed Pearce on 9 February 2015, returning direct to Avalon.
• N355AC / BOMBER 391 / TANKER 162 British Aerospace Avro RJ 85 (MSN E2293) of Conair: Arrived at Perth Airport from Adelaide on 5 February 2015, and later the same day flew to RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth. Flew first mission 6 February 2015. Later operated from Pearce to Busselton, flying operations from Busselton and returning to Pearce each night. Departed Pearce on 9 February 2015, returning to Avalon via Adelaide.
• VH-LVG / BIRDDOG 376 Rockwell Turbo Commander 690B (MSN 11551) of AGA Services Pty Ltd: Arrived at Perth Airport from Avalon via Ceduna on 5 February 2015, and later the same day flew to RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth. Flew first mission 6 February 2015. Later operated from Pearce to Busselton, flying operations from Busselton and returning to Pearce each night. Departed Pearce on 9 February 2015, returning to Avalon via Kalgoorlie.
  
• VH-ZMP / FIRESCAN 371 Beech 200 King Air (MSN BB-259) of Australasian Jet Pty Ltd: Arrived at Jandakot Airport from Essendon via Ceduna on 5 February 2015. Flew first mission 6 February 2015. Operated from Jandakot. Departed Jandakot on 10 February 2015 via Ceduna to Essendon.
  
• N189AC / HELITAK 731 / ‘Gypsy Lady’ Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane (MSN 64100) of Erickson Air-Crane: Arrived at Jandakot from NSW via multiple refuelling stops on 7 February 2015. Departed Serpentine 11 February 2015 via multiple stops back to NSW.
• N957AC / HELITAK 738 / ‘Ichabod’ Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane (MSN 64065) of Erickson Air-Crane: Arrived at Jandakot from Essendon, VIC via multiple refuelling stops on 7 February 2015. Operated from Manjimup and Serpentine. Staying at Serpentine until March 2015, in addition to the WA-based Skycrane, N154AC / HELITAK 739 ‘Georgia Peach’.
  

In addition:

• A41-207 Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (MSN F-173/AUS2) of 36 Squadron, RAAF: Arrived at RAAF Pearce from RAAF Richmond on 6 February 2015 with a cargo load of fire retardant chemicals for use by the C-130 and RJ85 operating from Pearce.

The fires were started by natural causes, as a result of lightning from thunderstorms.

• The Northcliffe fire was reported at 10am on Friday 30 January 2015, and had burned through about 80,500 hectares, with the fire perimeter around 300 kilometres long by 6 February 2015.  Over 200 firefighters from WA and Victoria were fighting this fire, but luckily the weather conditions have reduced the fire’s progress. The WA Premier Colin Barnett declared the fire to be a natural disaster. By 9 February 2015, it had burnt through a total of 91,000 hectares, with a perimeter of 364 kilometres, but had been downgraded to a “Watch and Act” alert.
• The Boddington fire started about 3pm on Saturday 31 January 2015, west of Lower Hotham Road and north of Harvey-Quindanning Road. It was burning in forest and pastoral land, with a fire perimeter which was 145 kilometres long by late on Friday 6 February 2015.  More than 52,000 hectares was burnt before the fire was downgraded to an advice.