HE chose to stay, but won’t do that again. A Gurdies local, who watched a bushfire arrive at his doorstep, is urging everyone to listen to the advice of authorities and leave early when it comes to fire.
Glenn Skrobalak was at his home in the Gurdies on December 20, 2024 when the large bushfire started to unexpectedly head towards his home and property.
People were advised to evacuate the area, but despite having a bag packed and ready to go, Glenn decided to stay – a decision he says he now regrets.
“My initial thought was to stay and defend the property and I probably regret that now seeing how severe it was and how fast it came. I don’t think I would be doing that again,” Mr Skrobalak said.
“I thought I was well and truly capable having been in other high-pressure situations and handled them well, but this was totally different. I was just exhausted. I can work all day outside, but seven minutes of that I had well and truly had enough.”
It was at that point that the Corinella CFA Captain, David Cox and Kernot-Grantville CFA Lieutenant, Andrew Blackney were driving past as part of the fire response at the time.
Despite not having a truck, Mr Cox saw Mr Skrobalak standing in his property “looking panicked” and swooped in to help.
“We could see Glenn just standing out there by himself, we could see the panic starting to come and I said ‘we have to go and help him’,” Mr Cox said.
“Anyone out there that day would have done the same thing. It’s just our instinct.”
Mr Cox approached Mr Skrobalak and using Mr Skrobalak’s fire pump and hose, got to work fighting off spot fires and defending the property.
Mr Skrobalak said watching Mr Cox work was incredible and it really opened his eyes to how much skill is involved in fighting a fire.
“I never would have thought to do the things that he was doing,” Mr Skrobalak said.
“I have never experienced a bushfire before, and I was just so overwhelmed by how incredibly trained David and the CFA were and when the situation changes how quickly they react to it.
“I really do believe he (Mr Cox) stopped it from not only engulfing our place but all of our neighbours’. I don’t really have words to describe how grateful we are.”
A short time later, the Glen Alvie brigade was able to get some appliances into Mr Skrobalak’s property and completely tackle the fire. Both Mr Skrobalak and Mr Cox said this incident highlighted the importance of listening to advice and leaving early.
“We would rather people are not there – it does hinder our firefighting abilities,” Mr Cox said.
“Things can be replaced, but imagine never getting to hug your loved ones again, imagine never being able to see them again.”
Mr Skrobalak said he was extremely grateful for the work of David and the other firefighters that day.
“Don’t stay, it’s not worth it,” he said.
“Take off and you can hope for the best but at least you will be safe.”
Tips for leaving early during a bushfire event:
– On a ‘Catastrophic’ day, leaving high risk bushfire areas the night before or early in the morning is the safest option;
– You can go to family or friends in a low fire risk area, a shopping complex, library or another community building in a low-risk area, and;
– Plan your route and ensure your car has enough petrol so you don’t need to stop.
Read more about leaving early at: cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/leave-early
