JUST 10 metres was all that was between the raging Waroona fire and Spencer Snell’s family farm, who stood between the two with the West Waroona Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Mr Snell’s first major fire as a volunteer firefighter, he never thought he would have to use his skills to keep the 60-year-old sheep shearing shed standing.
It was a fire which Mr Snell was told could be the work of arson.
“It makes me very angry and anxious [that people could do this], particularly in this weather," Mr Snell said.
“[On Friday] there’s a total fire ban which shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
Mr Snell first got the call just after 1pm on Wednesday but it wasn’t long before he thought fire crews had the blaze under control.
It was then things took a turn for the worse.
“It jumped over us like we weren’t even there and got away from us” he said.
“We knew if it got into the reserve we would lose it.”
I was just one person; there was a whole team of people there
- Spencer Snell
The fire continued burning across more than 123 hectares moving closer to Mr Snell’s Peppermint Grove Road farm.
“When I joined the fire brigade two years ago I never thought I would end up saving my own farm,” Mr Snell said.
“But I’m glad I did because it gave me the skills I needed at the time.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone down in that shed; it would have been sad to see it go.”
The farm’s shearing shed was built in the 1950s by Mr Snell’s great grandfather, making it an heirloom in its own right.
And just metres beyond that is Mr Snell’s cousin’s house.
Both were being protected by a team of people putting out the wall of fire threatening them.
“I was just one person; there was a whole team of people there,” Mr Snell said.
“We had two units - the Pinjarra brigade and the West Waroona brigade and possibly some of the team from Bunbury.
“And we were in the thick of the action.
“There were spot fires everywhere and I was bombed by water; another girl collapsed from smoke inhalation.
“It was part adrenalin rush and part of it was quite satisfying that we had put out a lot of fires.
“It was a big rush to save my own shearing shed.”
Mr Snell couldn’t thank the brigades enough and said it was amazing how many had replied to their help call with about 80-90 people on the ground.
The Waroona resident puts down the great response to the emergency services levy.
“There’s no way we’d have the same result if it was just a bunch of farmers out there,” he said.
“The levy is worth every cent.”