FizzSenior Contributor
This revelation has angered lots of people quite rightly
A man who lost his home in a bushfire sparked by a Defence helicopter last summer says it's "ridiculous" that the aircraft did not relay the location of the fire to authorities for 45 minutes.
Key points:
- An Army chopper accidentally started the fire, but its crew did not tell authorities the location for 45 minutes
- The fire burnt 80 per cent of Namadgi National Park, and destroyed several homes across the border in NSW
- Stephen Littlehales lost his home and says he was outraged to learn authorities did not get a head start in fighting the fire
The fire was sparked by the Army helicopter's tail light at about 1:30pm on January 27, as it set down in the Orroral Valley in the ACT's south so its crew could have a break.
The ignition was noticed seconds after landing and the helicopter took off again, with the downdraught from its propellers fanning the flames.
