Wayne Norman is
coming to terms with losing his historic Mary Valley
home after a burn-off turned sinister.
Craig
Warhurst
Fire guts Brooloo property
Nothing is left of
the old 100-year-old Doyle mill along the Mary Valley Highway that Wayne Norman
spent years turning into his home - it burned to the ground after a grass burning
off changed course.
"My son was
burning a bit of rubbish (long grass along the creek) as he's done a million
times before," Mr Norman said as he sat on a ride on mower looking at the
charred remains of his home.
"The fire has
gone along the creek and up the bank to the side of the building. I had a roof
rack leaning up against the building that had vines through it. A mate came and
got the roof rack but the vines were still there and that's how it
started."
The elbow shaped
dwelling that was the former shed and house shared the same roof and
consequence loss of both buildings.
Mr Norman said he
left his property at about 1.25pm and returned about three quarters of an hour
later, his son having already left the property too.
"I could see
smoke when I came down the road and pulled up," he said.
If losing all his
possessions in the fire was not tragic enough, Mr Norman believes his insurance
may have ran out last week making it the first time he has not been insured.
He moved to the
three and a half acre property at Brooloo in 1992 and said all he needs is
money so he can get back into building a home for himself.
Imbil police
officers Sgt Terry Kennedy and Senior Constable Bill Greer were the first at
the scene at around 2.30pm, followed by Gympie fire fighters and the Veteran
Rural Fire Brigade.
"They thought
the fire had gone out," Sgt Kennedy said and that the shed was "very
old, dry timber" that took about half an hour to destroy all Mr Norman's
possessions.
Veteran Rural Fire
Brigade officers reminded motorists to pull over for emergency services
vehicles. They were delayed in reaching the fire because motorists ignored
sirens and failed to clear a path.
Gympie police said
failing to move out of the path of a police or emergency services vehicle,
failing to give way to them or moving into the path of them was against the law
and the offender could be fined $233.
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