The family of a man who died battling bushfires are remembering the firefighter as a wonderful father, loving brother and wonderful friend.
The 59-year-old had worked at the Lake Munmorah depot for almost 30 years and was helping lead the attack on the Bulahdelah fire when he was killed.
Lohan was the first NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter to be killed in the line of duty since 2011.
“The news of John’s passing is a deep shock to all of us,” his family wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
“John was a wonderful father, a loving brother and a wonderful friend to all who knew him.
“He will be greatly missed.”
The family thanked the public for their support and condolences and paid tribute to his colleagues for their compassion and strength.
National Parks said their valued and experienced employee was serving in a critical leadership role when he was killed.
Lohan was the third person to die in a wildfire-related incident in recent weeks.
A 59-year-old farmer in Western Australia died in a fire on his property earlier in December and a 65-year-old firefighter from the National Parks and Wildlife Service in South Australia died while trying to extinguish a fire in a remote location.
The fire that Lohan tried to contain has spread to more than 4,600 hectares and is now being brought under control.
More than a hundred firefighters were deployed when the forest fire destroyed four houses in the area.
Northerly winds also sent smoke more than 200 kilometers south, blanketing Newcastle and Sydney for several days.
Fire conditions have since diminished, but with hot and dry conditions forecast, danger levels remain at high levels.
Heat waves and gusty winds have fueled fire threats on the East Coast in recent days.
Blazes destroyed 16 homes in Koolewong on the NSW central coast, while a further 19 homes were destroyed in Dolphin Sands on Tasmania’s east coast.
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