Beaten back

By Casey Neill
FIRE CREWS averted a potential disaster when flames took hold in Upper Ferntree Gully’s Quarry Road on Saturday.
Upper Ferntree Gully Fire Brigade captain Peter Smith was called to the blaze just before 4pm.
“The wind picked it up and intensified it very quickly. It jumped the train line and then it just went,” he said.
“We were very, very fortunate to contain it to where it was. It was a very good save.”
Mr Smith said the fire was close to claiming homes, and even lives.
He said the flames could easily have entered the Dandenong Ranges National Park, placing Sassafras, Ferny Creek, Tremont and other towns in danger.
“It had the potential to be another disaster,” he said.
The team was without back-up, with most CFA crews deployed elsewhere. We had a fire bomber for 20 minutes ’cause that’s all we could get,” Mr Smith said.
“We only had 15 trucks at the max, because all the others were out.”
The fire was still smouldering when the Mail inspected the damage on Sunday.
The blackened scrub’s acrid scent hung in the air as a reminder of how close residents were to losing everything just hours earlier.
Quarry Road resident Mark and his son Brad were inside their home as the fire raged just metres away.
“I couldn’t get over how fast it was going. It was unbelievable,” Mark said.
Rinie and Diane Vanzwol’s home was among those in danger.
The Mail reported the pair’s battle to retain access to a Knox Council-owned driveway late last year.
Mr Smith said residents helped fire crews defend their homes with hoses and buckets.
“It came so quick they didn’t have a chance to get out,” he said.
“They did an absolutely marvellous job.”
He said the blaze surrounded several properties, and embers caused one to ignite.
“But that was put out very quickly,” Mr Smith said.
Police closed Burwood Highway between Dawson Street and Lysterfield Road as flames lapped at the roadside and fire crews ran hose lines across the street.
CFA volunteers also fought spot fires threatening homes across the highway.
“It was full on. It was a good two, three hours of full-on work,” Mr Smith said.
The blaze was declared under control at 9.30pm Saturday night, but crews returned to extinguish flare-ups the following morning.
Mr Smith said the fire destroyed between five and 10 hectares.
Knox CIU detectives are investigating the fire.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Goldrisk said detectives were not treating the blaze as suspicious.
“With heat like that any number of factors could be responsible,” he said.
“We’re keeping an open mind at this stage.”
Act Sen Sgt Goldrisk said the investigation would take a back seat to fatal blazes elsewhere and did not know when police would determine what started the fire.
Connex spokeswoman Lanie Harris said the blaze destroyed sleepers, damaged signal boxes, cabling and overhead powerlines on the Belgrave railway line.
“Our maintenance crews were on-site as soon as they were given clearance,” Ms Harris said.
She said crews working on other rail projects were redirected to get the line back up and running.
Train services were suspended between Ringwood and Belgrave and replaced with buses from Saturday afternoon until the last train Sunday night.
Train and track maintenance crews then tested the line overnight.
Six city-bound and six outbound services were cancelled during Monday morning peak, but services have now returned to normal.
More fire coverage on pages 3 and 9