The bushfire nightmare which descended on the NSW South Coast town of Tathra has destroyed 69 homes, as well as 30 caravans and cabins.
Thankfully no lives have been lost in the disaster in the small coastal community near Bega, and initial damage assessments indicate 398 houses were saved or untouched.
While it is still not safe to return to the town, work is being done to make the area safe as quickly as possible.
RFS Deputy Fire Commissioner Rob Rogers told the ABC that the fire jumped rivers yesterday and was “like a perfect storm” with a combination of strong winds, hot temperatures, low humidity and dry bush.
Residents huddled on the beach to try to escape the flames before being evacuated, with hundreds spending the night in nearby Bermagui and Bega and some sleeping in their cars.
Bruce McAslan, president of Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club, said many people were blindsided by the fire, including tourists at a number of caravan parks.
“It turned very quickly and a lot of people said they were told to ‘get out now, we mean now’, so they said ‘we just packed up our stuff and left’,” Mr McAslan told AAP. “It was pretty tough on some people but the attitude was really good.”
Warren Lowrey was staying at a local caravan park when the fire broke out.
“We were just sitting there, trying to work out what to do and suddenly got the evacuation call, headed to the beach and walked along the beach up to the Bega River,” he told 9News. “We could see flames, saw flames coming over the hill, that’s when we got the evacuation call and yep it was time to go.”
Mr Lowrey said they got pretty close to the fire and only had about 20 minutes before it was almost upon them. While his car and possessions are still at the caravan park, he said he was more concerned for the locals who might have lost their homes.
Weather conditions have now eased and the fire, which spans more than 1,070 hectares, has been downgraded from emergency warning to watch-and-act level.
* Have you been affected by the bushfire? Comment below.
