WA authorities call in big firefighting guns as heatwave hits
The air tanker arrives in WA from NSW.
Authorities sweating on what will happen if Perth’s combined heatwave and storms result in catastrophic fires this week have called in reinforcements earlier than planned.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has secured a large air tanker from NSW’s Rural Fire Service to bolster the firefighting fleet ahead of the contract start date of December 1.
The 42-tonne AVRO RJ85 LAT touched down in Busselton on Tuesday afternoon to be on standby for the impending fire threat.
It has a loaded cruising speed of almost 700km/h and can carry 11,350 litres of retardant or more than 12,000 litres of water.
It has two pilots, takes just 10-15 minutes to load with fire suppressants and is accompanied by an Air Attack Supervision Aircraft (Bird Dog 273).
The tanker will be fitted with DFES radios Tuesday night.
The crew will rest up on Tuesday night before a briefing Wednesday morning and will be ready to take to skies from 10am Wednesday if required.
A storm is expected to hit Perth on Wednesday morning, with Emergency WA warning residents to prepare now for the severe weather, with no rain predicted but damaging winds.
Wednesday will be the second day of Perth’s longest November heatweave ever with maximums forecast to stay at or above 35 degrees for all seven days.
Another large air tanker already on loan from New South Wales was recently damaged while being serviced at Perth Airport. Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of November.
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