Wayne Norman is coming to terms with losing his historic Mary Valley home after a burn-off turned sinister.
Craig Warhurst
Fire guts Brooloo property
Nothing is left of the old 100-year-old Doyle mill along the Mary Valley Highway that Wayne Norman spent years turning into his home - it burned to the ground after a grass burning off changed course.
"My son was burning a bit of rubbish (long grass along the creek) as he's done a million times before," Mr Norman said as he sat on a ride on mower looking at the charred remains of his home.
"The fire has gone along the creek and up the bank to the side of the building. I had a roof rack leaning up against the building that had vines through it. A mate came and got the roof rack but the vines were still there and that's how it started."
The elbow shaped dwelling that was the former shed and house shared the same roof and consequence loss of both buildings.
Mr Norman said he left his property at about 1.25pm and returned about three quarters of an hour later, his son having already left the property too.
"I could see smoke when I came down the road and pulled up," he said.
If losing all his possessions in the fire was not tragic enough, Mr Norman believes his insurance may have ran out last week making it the first time he has not been insured.
He moved to the three and a half acre property at Brooloo in 1992 and said all he needs is money so he can get back into building a home for himself.
Imbil police officers Sgt Terry Kennedy and Senior Constable Bill Greer were the first at the scene at around 2.30pm, followed by Gympie fire fighters and the Veteran Rural Fire Brigade.
"They thought the fire had gone out," Sgt Kennedy said and that the shed was "very old, dry timber" that took about half an hour to destroy all Mr Norman's possessions.
Veteran Rural Fire Brigade officers reminded motorists to pull over for emergency services vehicles. They were delayed in reaching the fire because motorists ignored sirens and failed to clear a path.
Gympie police said failing to move out of the path of a police or emergency services vehicle, failing to give way to them or moving into the path of them was against the law and the offender could be fined $233.
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