Source : Perth Now news
A town that was at the heart of Victoria’s catastrophic bushfires has been dealt another crushing blow as thieves plunder the local fire station for fuel and valuable tools.
Police are investigating after thousands of dollars worth of tools were stolen from the Terip Terip CFA station over the Easter long weekend.
Terip Terip was at the epicentre of the Longwood bushfires, the largest in a series of blazes across the state in January, which consumed homes, hectares of farmland and thousands of cattle.
It is believed the offenders entered the station and stole fuel, chainsaws, fire pumps, a radio and charging stations before fleeing.
Terip Terip CFA volunteer Jonathan Tofts told NewsWire the thefts were a “low act” especially as some of the stolen items were donated to help the community rebound from the bushfires.
“It is a big blow,” he said.
“We still need that equipment to continue with our recovery.
“We’re coming into winter, it’s quite windy here and we get lots of fallen trees over the roads.
“We try to keep them open for the local community, but with no chainsaws we can’t do that any more.”
Mr Tofts said the community had been “staying strong” after the Longwood fires, and issued a plea to the thieves.
“Just hand the items in to your local police station,” he said.
“While you’re at it, you might as well hand yourselves in too.”
“The investigation into the incident remains ongoing,” a police spokeswoman said.
Police are urging anyone with information or who may have witnessed suspicious activity to come forward.
