REVEALED: Vital hazard reduction burns were stopped before Australia’s deadly bushfire crisis due to concerns about air quality
- Air quality has either cancelled or postponed critical hazard reduction burns
- Areas near the Grose Valley fire had reduced burnoffs due to air quality concerns
- Unpredictable weather can make controlling the smoke direction difficult
Firefighters have revealed they were forced to cancel or delay hazard reduction burns in critical areas due to residents complaining about the smoke.
During the winter and autumn months the NSW Rural Fire Service deliberately burns parts of the bush to reduce the fuel load ahead of summer.
But several burns were stopped or cut short to keep air quality levels from deteriorating.
The NSW Rural Fire Service have revealed they have been forced to cancel or delay hazard reduction burns in critical areas due to poor air quality choking local neighbourhoods
The elderly, infants and those with asthma often struggle with the thick smoke from the fires.
NSW RFS spokesman Inspector Ben Shepherd told the Daily Telegraph that public health was an important consideration.
‘We speak with National Parks weekly during the hazard reduction season about the burns planned and the impact of smoke,’ Mr Shepherd said.
‘We look to see if we can change the lighting pattern to reduce the smoke impact.
Mr Shepherd said unpredictable weather can make directing the smoke very challenging.
The RFS said air quality reasons led to a reduction of the size of the burn area in Grose Valley fire that destroyed several homes (pictured)
Air quality issues played a key role in reducing the size of a burnoff in Bowen Mountain, an hour west of Sydney, which later lost several homes to the roaring Grose Valley fire.
More burns were reduced for air quality reasons in Putty, an area near Gospers Mountain which was consumed by a ‘mega blaze’ that went on to burn an area seven times the size of Singapore.
Other burns at Wiseman’s Ferry, Ku-ring-gai Chase, Dural, Pennant Hills and Hawkesbury were postponed.
More burns were reduced for air quality reasons in an area near Gosper’s Mountain which was consumed by a ‘mega blaze’ (pictured)
It comes after revelations that a Independent Hazard Reduction Audit Panel report recommended the government increase hazard reduction burning in 2013.
The report said that while it was not a solution, hazard reduction would be an critical tool in fighting bushfires going forward.
‘Increases in fuel reduction will be required to counteract increasing risk that is likely to arise from climate change,’ it said.