A firefighter has died at the scene of a blaze in South Australia’s northern Eyre Peninsula, the Country Fire Service has confirmed.
The service said Peter Curtis died “in the line of duty” late on Sunday afternoon at Pinkawillinie Conservation Park and that an investigation would examine the circumstances of the incident.
SA CFS chief officer Brett Loughlin said an “immediate search” for Mr Curtis was launched after firefighters determined there was an unaccounted-for member on the fireground.
“During the course of that search, firefighter Peter Curtis was located and sadly was unable to be revived,” he said.
“Peter’s loss will be felt very keenly across the fire services … and our thoughts and our prayers are with his friends and family.”
Mr Loughlin said the fire started Saturday evening and was believed to have been sparked by lightning.
Mr Loughlin said crews arrived at the fire ground on Sunday morning and “found a fire of approximately 10 hectares in size, with relatively minimal fire activity”.
“The specific details of this incident are obviously subject to an investigation and I can’t go into them further at this point in time and I won’t be drawn on any speculation on what may or may not have occurred at this point,” he said.
He said Mr Curtis was a “much-loved” and “deeply respected” member of the National Parks and Wildlife Service brigade.
“Firefighting can be a risky profession but the loss of any one of our firefighters is felt so incredibly keenly across the state, and indeed this will have repercussions nationally as well,” he said.
“We are a close-knit community and indeed we are a family and … Peter’s loss in the line of duty is the first line-of-duty death of a National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter and so is particularly poignant.”
Emergency Services Minister Rhiannon Pearce said it was a “tremendously sad occasion” and that support had been offered to Mr Pearce’s family.
“Supports have been offered to help them navigate through this really difficult time,” she said.
“The role that Peter had isn’t something you do necessarily just for a career — it’s something you do because you feel deeply passionate about and he’s been deeply passionate about keeping his community safe for a very long time and we honour the work.
“This news … is deeply felt by all in the emergency services sector as much as it is within the local community and the brigade.”
Earlier, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas told reporters he would speak publicly about the incident “once appropriate processes have gone through”.
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