Gudrun Elliott, Welcome Glen
I am one of the Welcome Glen residents who was evacuated on Wednesday when the fire swept through the area. It was a very traumatic experience, and I hope never to experience anything like it again.
I would like to raise two points in connection with the fire.
Firstly, many of us whose properties border Glen Road have, on different occasions over the years, contacted the navy and asked them to remove the stone pines growing on the perimeter of their land. Nothing to this day has been done about them. If the pines had caught fire, I do not believe that our home would still be standing. I have been trying to contact someone in the navy who can address the problem but have had no luck.
I implore the navy to remove the outermost pine trees as a matter of urgency. Apart from being a serious fire risk, some of the trees have been damaged by the fire, and there is a risk of them falling and causing terrible damage.
On a more positive note, I would like to thank all those people who did what needed doing in very difficult circumstances.
On Wednesday, amidst the chaos, I was reminded of the extraordinary community that we live in. People care and they are willing to put their safety on the line to help others.
So while the fire has ravaged the landscape, caused many people sleepless nights and really shaken all of those affected by it, it has also ignited remarkable community spirit.
