Hamilton's Wayne Nagorcka has flown to Rockhampton to help battle the bushfires blanketing NSW and Queensland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
District five operations manager Richard Bourke said Mr Nagorcka, a wildfire instructor, would help as an incident controller.
He said Mr Nagorcka was the only firefighter from region five who had been flown in, but that may change in the coming days.
"The district is looking at preparing to replace strike teams if required in NSW but that request has not come through as yet," Mr Bourke said.
Tanya Nagorcka, Mr Nagorcka's wife, said her husband got a call about 8pm on Sunday night asking him to fly in to help.
He left at 3am on Tuesday morning and will return home to Hamilton on Monday.
Mrs Nagorcka said her husband was looking forward to helping out.
The two states are preparing for catastrophic and unprecedented conditions in what could be the most dangerous bushfire week in Australia's history, with more than 3000 firefighters and 60 aircraft at the ready.
More than 50 fires are burning in NSW, with the perimeter covering about 1000 kilometres. A week-long state of emergency has been declared in NSW and the Australian Defence Force is on standby to provide support - including for search and rescue operations.
Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said residents were facing what "could be the most dangerous bushfire week this nation has ever seen".
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
