Samuel McPaul Wiki
Samuel McPaul Biography
Who was Samuel McPaul?
Samuel McPaul, 28, was killed in the scorching explosion of the deadly vortex of fire, with two of his fellow Rural Fire Service volunteers seriously injured, during the Black Summer wildfires on December 30, 2019.
Fire chiefs watched in horror as the devastating tornado formed near the New South Wales-Victoria border and then sped toward them, incinerating everything in its path.
“When I looked up the hill, I could see a big whirlwind or tornado starting to build up,” Capt. John Hawkins told the NSW Forest Fire Coronial Investigation on Tuesday.
How old was Samuel McPaul?
She was 28 year old.
Killed
Low humidity, high temperatures and high winds combined to create the rare but perfect conditions for the firestorm that killed firefighter Samuel McPaul .
Low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds combined to create the rare but perfect conditions for the firestorm to wreak havoc, the Bureau of Meteorology explained.
As the fire intensified, it created the vortex that ripped through the dry tinder bush, only 60 meters wide, but carrying flames and debris several kilometers into the sky and throwing trees like matchsticks.
“Trees in the path of the damage were uprooted from the ground and thrown, in some cases, 100 meters to the south,” a BoM report told the investigation.
Within minutes it turned into a fiery frenzy and then disappeared just as quickly after literally burning itself out.
Investigation
The investigation into the death of Samuel McPaul will begin on Wednesday. His wife Megan is seen here receiving commendation from the Commissioner for her service and a commendation from the Commissioner for her bravery on behalf of her husband.
The BoM added: “The fire tornado had burned and absorbed everything from the ground.”
The Green Valley fire would continue to burn for another 52 days, razing 46,000 hectares of brush.
Australia’s wildfires in 2019/2020 were the worst the country has seen in recorded history, starting in September 2019 and lasting through March 2020.
By the time the last embers were extinguished, 34 people had died, 3,500 homes were lost, thousands more buildings were razed and more than 19 million hectares of shrubbery had been ravaged by fire, mostly in New South Wales.
Scientists have estimated that up to one billion vertebrate animals were killed by the ruthless hells.
The investigation into McPaul’s death will begin Wednesday.
Samuel McPaul Quicks and Facts
- Samuel McPaul died when the blast of the fire tornado overturned his fire truck
- Rare but perfect weather conditions created the monstrous firestorm
- In minutes, it incinerated everything in its path, tossing trees like matchsticks
- Fire chiefs told Bushfires Coronial Inquiry they had never seen anything like it
- Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20 killed 34 people and destroyed homes
