‘I have cried a few times already’: Expat Scot firefighter reveals harrowing fight on frontline of Australia’s raging wild fires

A firefighter on the frontline of Australia’s raging wild fires has revealed the harrowing fight to save lives and homes.

Kevin Stewart, who became a fire officer in the South Australian Fire Service after emigrating from North Berwick, has been working to protect communities threatened by the flames.

He said: “Many people and firefighters have been killed or injured with bad burns and smoke inhalation.

“At a recent fire in South Australia houses were incinerated. One person was dead and scores of people badly injured.

“Our urban search-and-rescue team was sent out recently to search for a missing person.

“Sadly we found his body down the side of his house. He had already evacuated to a safe area, then decided to return to try to defend his property and was engulfed by a raging inferno.

“There seems to be no end to it at the moment. My heart bleeds for the wives and children of the firefighters that have made the ultimate sacrifice as they did their best to help others.

“I’ve burst out crying a few times already thinking about them. Many firefighters are utterly exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally, but one thing we all very much realise and acknowledge is that it’s only the beginning of January and we have a long, hot and dry summer ahead.”

The dad-of-two daughters, Gemma and Katie, is a member of one of many fire crews pushed to extreme exhaustion, as they work 22-hour shifts to protect locals.

“We have ended up (at times) working a 22-hour shift, had two hours’ sleep and got woken up by the town’s emergency warning siren.

“We were ordered to evacuate as a major fire was roaring towards the town.

“We had 20 minutes to get out. Our next shift was 18 hours.”

Kevin, 55, who was recently awarded the South Australian Emergency Services Medal, left school at 16 for an apprenticeship as an agricultural mechanic at George Henderson’s in Haddington.

He went on to work for East Lothian District Council in their Parks and Gardens department before emigrating to Australia.

He added: “My family in Haddington, East Lothian, Fife and Dunfermline have been glued to the news, wondering if I’m on the front line.”

After weeks of exhausting firefighting, Kevin has now been drafted into counselling colleagues who are struggling to deal with the death and destruction caused by the bushfires.

“It is a role I perform from time to time in the fire service,” he adds.

“It has been very humbling being with them and listening to their stories.”