The fire began at Mulligan’s Flat Road near the ACT at 3pm on Wednesday and burned 524-hectares. It threatened homes near Sutton and forced residents to evacuate.

Under the 37 degree heat, the Sutton firefighters were first on the ground, warding off the flames from three properties until the cavalry arrived.     

“Every brigade in the Yass Valley were on the scene,” RFS Southern Tablelands Zone Manager Peter Alley said. 

“Strike teams from the Riverina Highlands, a large number of brigades from the ACT Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue.”

One helicopter was forced to the ground for an hour after the pads of the aircraft clipped one of the powerlines. The helicopter was undamaged. It was four hours before all crews controlled the blaze and downgraded the warning to advice at 7pm. 

By this time, however, around 20 livestock had been lost, alongside two shearing sheds and two shipping containers.   

“The fire just ran so quickly, but the crews worked exceptionally hard to save residents’ homes and majority of livestock out there,” Mr Alley said. 

When conditions eased and temperatures dropped around 6.30pm, crews were able to contain the fire.  

“They work their backsides off, as always. It was an extreme day with conditions and they fought it out under a lot of pressure,” Mr Alley said. 

The power for Sutton and Gundaroo villages were off all Wednesday night.

Yass Valley Mayor Rowena Abbey says any fire is devastating and emotionally draining for anyone involved. 

“It’s times like these when we prove what sort of community we are,” she said. “The women and men on the ground are truly incredible and we are so grateful for all their hard work.” 

“Our thoughts are with the families and individuals whose land was devastated by these fires.”

Former Yass Valley Councillor David Needham came a little too close for comfort at Wednesday’s fire. 

The fire reached the back side of Mr Needham’s property and seared up onto it’s side. While the house had minimal damage, the experience was a little too close for comfort.  

With over 300 alpacas, llamas and donkey’s on her property on Sutton Road, Glynda Bloom of Alpaca Magic says she’ll never forget the site of the ‘beast’ fire surrounding her property on Wednesday afternoon.  

“I got the call from my neighbor and told me the fire was coming… and coming fast,” Ms Bloom said. 

“Lucky for me that was, I was able to get to the paddock and get all the animals out. 

“I couldn’t see anything at first, and I literally looked down for an instant then up again and it was there, surrounding us.”

Glynda Bloom fortunately had some Vet students staying with her that were able to help her with all of the animals. 

“Everyone is fine, no one has toasted toes. Mind you they did drain all the water in my dam so I’m wondering who I should send the bill to,” she joked.

“I honestly don’t know what would have happened if those amazing firefighters hadn’t been so fast and if my neighbour hadn’t warned me. I think I would have been telling a slightly different story.”

While the cause of the Sutton fire remains unknown, what has become apparent is the recognition for the hard work of the 150 firefighters.

Thousands of people have taken to social media to pay homage, not only to the work done at Sutton, but also to crews working at Tarago and the Hunter Valley.  

The fire at Tarago occurred a day before the region was declared a total fire ban, and the Sutton fire the day following the announcement.

Mr Alley urged residents across the region to remain vigilant, however with cooler conditions and a crew changeover on Thursday, he was confident the mop-up in both areas would be successful. 

The smoke from the Sutton fire could be seen across the Monaro Highway and into Canberra.  

A total fire ban is still in place across the region.