‘Your chooks seemed a bit frazzled’: Firey leaves heartwarming note for homeowner who left chickens behind when they fled flames
- Lucy Baranowski fed chickens of a home that was abandoned in the bushfires
- The firefighter had been battling blazes from Gospers Mountain fire this week
- Around 250,000 hectares of land has been scorched and 20 homes destroyed
A firefighter left behind a heartbreaking note after feeding the chickens of a home that had been abandoned due to raging bushfires.
Lucy Baranowski, a firefighter for the Kurrajong RFS, was tackling the blaze from the Gospers Mountain fire, northwest of Sydney, on Sunday with her brother and father.
But after inspecting a property that had miraculously survived the flames, Ms Baranowski came across a brood of ‘hungry, frazzled’ chooks that had been left behind when the family fled.
Lucy Baranowski, a firefighter for the Kurrajong RFS left behind a note (pictured) to a family informing them she had fed their chickens after they fled their home in the fires
Ms Baranowski, a mother-of-four, described the heartwarming tale on her Facebook blog, Four Times the Madness.
‘We climbed onto the veranda of another residence to gauge where the fire was at. We could hear chooks – hungry chooks!’ she said.
‘The house was neat and tidy, kids toys stacked on shelves, the love just radiates out of this humble house.’
After grabbing a loaf of bread from the kitchen table, the animals flocked to the firefighter.
‘I left a note on the kitchen bench – it felt like I was intruding on this families sacred space,’ she said.
‘Calling the chooks, I worried they were too frazzled to come visit me. I shouldn’t have worried, those feathered champions came tearing out of the scrub like a crim running from the police.’
The firefighter said throughout the chaos she even managed to get a hug from one of the chickens.
‘I think I made friends for life. The bread didn’t last long, I even got to give one a hug. ‘Don’t worry little mate, I’m sure they’re coming home soon’,’ she said.
The firefighter said throughout the chaos she even managed to get a hug from one of the chickens
The firefighters spoke to the family who later returned home to see their house was still standing, telling them their chickens had been looked after
Later that day, the family who owned the chickens returned to see their house had survived the inferno.
Ms Baranowski said she was lucky enough to speak to the family, as the mother broke down in tears.
‘Her hands were shaking, she look exhausted,’ Ms Baranowski said.
‘I asked her if I could please give her a hug. We embraced, and she cried on my shoulder. ‘Thank you Thank you’ she said.
”Mate – I didn’t save the place, the yellow and blue family did. I’m sorry but I found bread in your kitchen and fed the chooks. Wasn’t much else for me to do – I’m sorry’.’
In the wake of the devastating Gospers Mountain fires, (pictured) more than 250,000 hectares of land has been scorched and 20 homes destroyed
In the wake of the devastating Gospers Mountain fires, more than 250,000 hectares of land has been scorched and 20 homes destroyed.
Firefighters are expecting conditions to worsen after an extreme heatwave is due to sweep across New South Wales in the lead up to New Year’s Eve.
Temperatures are expected to sore above 40C on Monday and Tuesday and dry winds create risk for more fires.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are also set to endure severe heat on Monday.
Two firefighters were killed and as many as 1000 NSW houses were destroyed last week.
On Friday, there was almost 1300 firefighters in the field as 70 bush and grass fires continued to burn, with more than 30 yet to be contained.
Conditions are expected to worse for firefighters as a severe heatwave sweeps across New South Wales (pictured: Gospers Mountain fire)