Pappinbarra couple, Heather and Harvey Smith were driving home from Canberra on Sunday when their neighbours rang to tell them about the catastrophic fire that was raging through the area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Their nearest neighbours, Helen Riek and a couple, Denis and Annette Hill lost their homes in the blazes that broke out on Sunday afternoon and took hold incredibly quickly.
The flames swept around the Smiths’ home, but firefighters managed to save the house from destruction.
A neighbour drove over and rescued their dog, Poppy.
“We feel so lucky. We went to the Hollisdale Hall barbecue last night, and neighbours were telling us about how they put out spot fires on our property.
“A couple of firies were asking us how our two pigs were. They were saved. And so were all our chickens.
“We’ve lost nothing except a paddock, whereas some of our neighbours have no grass left, so my husband is repairing our fences, so we can keep their cattle for them.”
Heather says it’s a very weird thing to go through.
“I really feel for our neighbours who’ve lost their houses. And I’d like to thank the volunteers at Beechwood School for giving fresh fruit, water and food to our three children, because our power is still off.”
Heather says the community is pulling together in an amazing way to help get through this awful time.