A charity project staffed by volunteers has piped water from remote locations to supply 200 fire trucks over 72 hours as bushfires rage across the country.
The project is managed by Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, which has developed a $450,000 specialised mobile water pump and tank that can fill three fire trucks at a time at a speed of 4,000 litres per minute.
Each tank carries enough water to fill about 22 fire trucks.
Water is sourced from remote parts of Australia that are inaccessible by truck and volunteers use helicopters or cranes to deliver the pump to the water source and collect up to 75,000 litres of water at a time within 10 minutes.
Burnt bushland from the Gospers Mountain fire along the Bells Line of Road in the Blue Mountains north west of Sydney. Source: AAP
Chairman of the Rapid Relief Team project Ron Arkcoll said volunteers just wanted to help in any way they can, knowing how stretched resources have been.
"We know this fire season has been challenging – and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the men and women who have been standing on the frontline, day in and day out, for months on end," he said.
Mr Arkcoll said the team has been pleased to know that the water has helped firefighters battle the out of control Gospers Mountain blaze, which has now burnt through almost 450,000 hectares of bushland.
"We saw a need and wanted to help where we could – we knew our Rapid Water System could help make inaccessible water sources accessible for firefighters who needed water - and fast," he said.
"We’re very proud of the innovation and technology used to assist in accessing vital water supply – in particular for those crews fighting the western flank of the Gospers Mountain blaze.
"Whatever we can do to help, from delivering water to the aerial fleet, to putting on a BBQ and a well-earned meal for the firefighters and volunteers, we will be there."
Gospers Mountain Fire as it burns towards the village of Bilpin on 10 December 2019. Source: AAP
A week-long state of emergency has been declared in NSW - granting special powers to RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons and a statewide total fire ban remains in place.
New South Wales is facing on Saturday with areas affected including the Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and southern ranges.
