Bamawm Extension CFA captain leads fire strike team

By Ivy Jensen

Nov 15, 2019

GEORGE Calleja is no stranger to bushfire conditions.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

Serving as the Bamawm Extension Fire Brigade Captain, the lively identity continues to lead the 32-member 2092 strike team, made up of volunteers from Echuca, Bamawm Extension and Rushworth, to help with fires across the Singleton region this week.

“We arrived on Monday night and then by Tuesday we were sent straight to Greta or ‘Gretta’ as we Victorians call it,” Mr Calleja told the Singleton Argus on Wednesday morning.

To help set the scene, an emergency warning had been sent out at 4.30pm to Greta residents advising those in the area to seek shelter.By that time, a bushfire was located on Harper St and bound for Hollingshed St.

“Once we arrived we thought to ourselves, ‘s-t has hit the fan’," he said.

“Unfortunately by the time we arrived there one of the sheds had gone up already so we couldn't get to that but the RFS boys got some of the pumpers through there.“Within two or three hours we had it quite established and we were blacking out but then we saw some smoke on a property at Harper Rd.“We went to the backyard to investigate but unfortunately by that time we found a ride-on lawn mower which had caught on fire.“There was also a kid's trampoline, the backyard fence and then the entire backyard was on fire.“But I'm very proud of my team because we were able to save that house.”Before this week, Mr Calleja admits the 1997 Sydney bushfires were the furthest disaster he had attended since the beginning of his career in 1989.Meanwhile the 2092 strike team toured the Hunter Valley RFS headquarters in Bulga on Wednesday morning.- Alex Tigani, The Singleton Argus RELATED ARTICLESEchuca CFA firefighters to replace NSW strike teams District RFS firefighters join the fight