Australian Firefighters Thank Sikh Community For Bringing Them Meals While They Tackle Bushfires

PA Images/Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade/Facebook

A group of Australian firefighters have thanked the local Sikh community for bringing them home-cooked meals as they tackled devastating bushfires.

Volunteers from the Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade earned a well-deserved break after containing a fire in South Turramurra on Sydney’s North Shore on Tuesday afternoon, November 12.

The fire was eventually brought under control thanks to the dedicated fire crew, although a number of homes were damaged in the process and one firefighter suffered a fractured arm.

PA Images

As a thank you to the Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade, members of the Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple dropped by with food – a heartwarming moment captured on camera and shared online.

The fire brigade shared a photo of its firefighters enjoying the food on Facebook, writing:

A huge thanks to the Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney for providing meals to our hungry firefighters!! Pictured here are the crews from Hornsby 1 and Hornsby 7 enjoying their meals after bringing the Canoon Road fire under control.

Dozens of people brought home-cooked food and water to firefighters and residents, something Captain Theo Klich told SBS News his team were ‘hugely grateful’ for.

Captain Klich said the incredible moment happened ‘as the firefighting operations were drawing to a close’ at the Canoon Road fire, which began mid-afternoon in bushland. Residents described towering flames and embers coming within metres of homes, The Guardian reported.

He explained:

We were approached by members of the local Sikh community with donations of hot food for our firefighters. They brought along two types of curry and water, and other residents also brought out water, juice and soft drinks.

After having an early lunch in preparation for a busy afternoon, they had worked hard and had built up a hunger. They were grateful for the support of the local residents and community, and whilst morale was already high having successfully contained the fire, it was nice gesture on behalf of the community.

Yesterday, fires reached ‘catastrophic levels‘ across New South Wales, with fires burning out of control in Turramurra, in Sydney’s north.

PA Images

With 300 new fires across New South Wales yesterday alone, NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said it was estimated up to a dozen homes had been damaged or destroyed – but there could be more with fires still burning.

The commissioner said they still had ‘a long way to go’, adding: ‘You can guarantee we’re not going to be able to get around all of these fires before the next wave of bad weather,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Three people have died and more than 170 properties have been destroyed since the fire emergency intensified in NSW on Friday, with people in vulnerable NSW communities being urged to stay away from bushland.

Authorities said one firefighter had suffered a broken arm and suspected fractured ribs.

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Lucy Connolly

A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).