Firefighting helicopter is scooping water from backyard swimming pools to help put out bushfires

Firefighters have resorted to collecting water from abandoned backyard swimming pools to help control bushfires ravaging Australia’s east coast.

As dozens of out-of-control blazes continue to tear through drought-ravaged communities, volunteers are increasingly relying on alternate water supplies.

Dams, creeks and private swimming pools can be used to help save lives and homes.

Footage shared by the Ingleburn brigade captured the moment a small helicopter scooped up water from a pool in a private backyard in Yanderra, south of Sydney.

The helicopter scooped water out of the backyard pool in Yanderra, south-west of Sydney, and carried it to the fire ground

The helicopter carried the water toward the fire ground to dump it before returning back to refill again.

The Green Wattle Creek fire has threatened residents in Yanderra, 90 minutes southwest of Sydney, for close to a month.

The brigade said a change of wind combined with aerial support meant homes in Yanderra were protected on Saturday as the fire suddenly changed direction.

Residents in nearby Bargo weren’t as lucky, with the out-of-control Green Wattle Creek blaze destroying almost 40 homes this week. 

Another plane dumped fire retardant across bush that had not yet been burnt. It is used to slow or stop the spread of the fire

Dams have plummeted to critically low levels in much of New South Wales, and the practice of scooping water from pools has been noted across the state.

Residents with pools can register with the StaticWater Supply government initiative, which is aimed at identifying properties near at-risk fire grounds with a personal water supply.

In the event of a fire, the registration and clear signage that water is available could be the difference between life and death.   

‘The backyard swimming pool provides an ideal emergency water supply for firefighters, using small portable pumps and hose lines, to protect your home and possessions,’ a statement explaining the program reads.   

‘Your pool water will only be used as a last resort during major bushfires… Your voluntary inclusion in this program may assist the fire service to extinguish a fire should one occur in or near your home or a neighbour’s home or property.’

A mega-blaze covering 460,000 hectares – from Gospers Mountain through to the Blue Mountains – has destroyed an estimated 20 homes

Pictures show the devastating conditions firefighters were forced to work in, as a blanket of orange smoke settled on the Blue Mountains and embers flew in every direction

A photographer who was on the scene of a fire in Bilpin, NSW, on Saturday night told Daily Mail Australia more than 40,000 litres of water was required to save one home.

Volunteer firefighter and home owner, Mark Jol chose not to evacuate his home in Bilpin as fast-moving fires approached this weekend.

He and his son Andrew – who is also a volunteer RFS member – were well prepared to battle the blaze. 

They used 40,000 litres of water to save their property alone – offering a stark reminder about just how much water firefighters need to fight the blazes. 

‘All of that water came from their own tanks,’ the photographer said. ‘They were well prepared, but all that water was used just on the initial fire front which passed through. 

‘They had sprinklers fitted and switched on around the house, in the car port… It really was a well prepared home, it was covered in corrugated iron and surrounded by well cleared out space and it survived.’

Mr Jol believes another dwelling further down on his land wouldn’t have survived. Conditions were too extreme for him to go properly check it out.  

Intense weather conditions on Saturday propelled a mega-blaze covering 460,000 hectares from Gospers Mountain through to the Blue Mountains.

A mega-blaze ripped through Bilpin and the Blue Mountains on Saturday night with intense heat and speed