Four National Park volunteer firefighters responded quickly but the blaze was already bigger than a football pitch and moving fast when they arrived.

“The fire conditions were such that it was just blowing it away at speed,” Swift said.

“It was really clear from the moment it started that it was out of control.”

She praised her crew for immediately requesting helicopters and back-up water tankers.

“They could see they just needed to get on to it as fast as they could ... they just did the best they could with the water they had.”

Swift said with four people, they only really could attack one flank of the fire.

Their efforts soon