When Burrabadine fire brigade captain Brian Schloeffel heard “two to three loud bangs” come from a fire-engulfed shed and saw the whole structure lift he knew it was too late for the priceless antique show rides inside.
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But he and other Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers, along with NSW Fire and Rescue crews, battled through the night and saved two bays of the shed full of trucks and equipment and a cottage yesterday.
Yesterday Mr Schloeffel was back assessing the scene of the Nulla Road fire that caused up to $5 million in damage and had challenged the crews because of a lack of water. It had also proved distressing because it was a neighbour’s property.
Mr Schloeffel knew that inside was showman Max Laurie’s prized and priceless collection of antique show rides collected during decades on the show circuit.
“What a shame - you couldn’t replace what was in there,” Mr Schloeffel said.
“The Lauries are long-term residents and highly respected members of the community.”
NSW Fire and Rescue Dubbo and Delroy brigades were first on the scene of the fire on the northern outskirts of Dubbo about 1am.
They adopted defensive tactics because cylinders were exploding inside the structure.
About 1.30am the RFS responded with about 30 volunteers and numerous tankers.
“When crews arrived the shed was fully engulfed and the fire was threatening a cottage nearby,” RFS Orana zone manager Superintendent Lyndon Wieland said.
“They were able to save the cottage through some really good work and contained the fire to the shed.”
The fire in the 70m by 20m-shed was no ordinary farm fire, with rare contents inside.
“There have been numerous reports that a large amount of antique carnival equipment was inside,” Supt Wieland said.
“Estimates from the community are that it was worth between $2 million and $5 million, but I can’t confirm that,” he said.
Nor could police provide an exact figure for the “considerable damage” that included the old-fashioned steam merry-go-round and other items.
Officers from the police forensic services group and the RFS structural fire investigators attended the collapsed remains of the shed and its contents yesterday.
“They will be sifting through rubble, looking for a point of origin and clues for the fire’s cause,” Supt Wieland said.
Orana command Inspector Matt Scott said investigations continued and a report would be prepared for the Coroner.
The shed built of besser blocks and corrugated iron posed a challenge to RFS volunteers yesterday and they had to bring a flare under control late morning.
Mr Schloeffel was at the yards with cattle when news of fire reached him early yesterday morning.
People in the area had smelt smoke for days because of hazard reduction burns on various properties around Dubbo, but this was the real and frightening deal.
“It was worse than I expected,” Mr Schloeffel said.
“It travelled faster than I hoped.
“I heard two or three loud bans and then the whole thing seemed to lift.
“There was that much heat last night, we put the trucks back until we had observed the situation.”
Mr Laurie, working at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, was yesterday spared the ugly site, but Mr Schloeffel sympathized with him.
“The old merry-go-round with its original steam engine - you couldn’t put a price on it, it was maybe the only one in Australia,” he said.
“Max was so proud of his gear.
“We’re all mystified about what could have happened.”
