Liam Hodges, a 12-year-old “junior firey,” receives training from the County Fire Authority in Anakie, Australia. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Junior firey Letitia McDonald, 12, aims a fire hose with help from Carlene Baker, whose hands are at right, during a training exercise. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
John Baker starts a gas-powered pump to test the portable firefighting apparatus on his family’s farm in Anakie. The family used their training and equipment to battle a bushfire in January 2006. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Rodney Baker, 69, helped protect his son John’s home during the bushfire. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Molly Baker, 15, bottle-feeds a young lamb on her family’s farm. When a bushfire threatened the farm in January 2006, Molly and her brother Isaac were given the chance to flee, but they chose to stay and help fight the fire. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Carlene Baker, who cares for orphaned animals, was determined to save the animals as well as her family and home during the bushfire. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The sun rises over a stand of eucalyptus trees near Anakie. Australians, like Southern Californians, live in one of the world’s most combustible landscapes. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
