Fire risks too close to home

By Bridget Brady
A CRANBOURNE North woman who had a close call on the weekend says her community needs to improve its fire plan.
Jacqui Quigley, who lives near the Cranbourne golf course and South Gippsland Highway, said her house would be gone if not for the many helpers who came to her family’s rescue, and a sudden wind change.
“I don’t even know who they were. But thank you so much,” she said.
“The wind came quickly and we heard crackling from the flames and all of a sudden it just turned. If the wind did not change it (fire) would have hit our house.”
Mrs Quigley said the pine trees from the golf course that hang over her house were a fire hazard, and she wanted to improve the safety of her home.
“We emptied our pool and had a pool pump … people were filling up buckets and anything we could find.
“We were petrified.”
Mrs Quigley said she wanted to organise a community meeting to discuss raise public awareness about the fire dangers around them.
“We came close. We have been in this house for 13 years and next time we want to be more prepared.”