As a local resident returned to his property on the end of the week, his home on the coastal fringe was enveloped in a dense smoke column. Less than twenty-four hours later, two houses on his street were consumed, and the surrounding forest became charred remnants.
The community of Bulahdelah, around 235km north of Sydney, has become at the centre of a tragedy after a veteran firefighter died on Sunday evening when he was hit by a falling tree. This represents a worrying commencement to the bushfire season.
A total of four homes have been lost in the broader Bulahdelah area, comprising two on Emu Creek Road, the residence of Garry Morgan, one on the Pacific Highway and one south of the township.
“Words fail to capture it,” he said. “My dogs stayed right by me, it was terrifying.”
Bulahdelah is a frequent rest stop on the Pacific Highway for travelers journeying up the coastal region to beach areas such as Seal Rocks, Forster and Port Macquarie.
On Monday afternoon, the highway south of town was blanketed in thick, orange smoke. Aircraft conducting water drops hovered overhead, assisting ground crews who were battling a blaze that had scorched 4,000 hectares since Friday.
Transport vehicles slowed to observe traffic cones and warning signs, the charred eucalypts and burnt grass on each side of the highway a stark reminder of how far the fire had ravaged the adjacent Myall Lakes national park. It remained at a 'watch and act' alert level on Monday evening.
In Bulahdelah, though, it would appear as another ordinary day if not for the helicopters circling overhead and smell of smoke hanging in the atmosphere.
A fuel depot for aircraft has been established at the town’s showground, converting it into a central point for around 300 firefighters and volunteers who have come from across the state to help.
On Monday afternoon, supplies of water were being offloaded from trucks and lollies were being packaged into zip lock bags. One firefighter estimated that they needed a bottle of water every 20 minutes when on the frontline.
Billows of smoke were continuing to emit from glowing hotspots on Emu Creek Road, a meandering country road that hugs a creek bed south of the township where two houses were lost.
On a boundary post outside a burnt property, a charred teddy bear remained attached to the log, still wearing a Christmas hat.
Down the road, Morgan was on his veranda with his two dogs, a small area of green surrounding his house the sole remnant of how the landscape used to look. Miraculously, his property was spared, despite his neighbour’s burning to the ground.
He recalled receiving a call from a friend at lunchtime on Saturday, telling him “you’ve got about half an hour and then a fire’s going to hit”. His timing was precise.
“We sprayed the house and shed down, sprayed the fence line,” he said, and then his reaction turned to “panic”. “I thought, ‘this is overwhelming’,” he said. “But I wasn’t leaving.”
Fortunately, firefighters surrounded the house, and succeeded in defending it. The bushfire passed over in about half an hour, with a sound resembling “a roaring inferno”.
Morgan, who has lived in the same house for around 30 years, has not witnessed the land so dry.
“We used to get rain every week,” he said. “We’ve never had fires like this. But you must accept the challenges with the rewards.”
On the same street, Jeff Curley was looking after his friend’s property which had also mostly been spared Saturday’s blaze, other than a broken headlight on a car and a container of wood stored for winter that had been reduced to ashes.
“I’ve been here many, many times,” he said. “A few years ago a fire almost approached a nearby ridge and that was quite frightening then, but the wind changed.
“It’s just so much drier this time. The fire approached from all directions, and the firefighters essentially protected it [the property].”
This was not a novel situation for Curley, who came close to losing his home in Wattle Grove when fires swept through in 2019.
“You see people on the news say, ‘The speed was unbelievable’,” he said. “You think it’s over there, and suddenly it’s on top of you. I know what it’s like. I told my friend to evacuate immediately, and he did.”
Kirsty Channon, public information officer for the NSW Rural Fire Service, said crews from multiple agencies had come from “across the coastal region” to help with the firefighting operation and had done an “incredible work” saving properties from being destroyed.
She said all agencies had “worked as one” after the death of one of their own.
“The firefighting community is a close-knit group,” she said. “However, the danger is not over.
“There have been instances of the Pacific Highway closing and reopening a few times, the fire jump backwards and forwards. It’s still not contained, it will continue to grow.”
Channon said efforts in the coming hours would focus on the small community of Nerong, which was anticipated to be impacted by the highway fire on Monday evening. Authorities advised locals to evacuate if unprepared, and have a fire plan.
“Little fires are starting from storm activity a few days ago,” she said.
“Tomorrow’s weather is mid 30s with shifting winds, and that’s been challenge - wind changes direction in the area.”
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