Imagine this: a fire stretching from Turpentine-Nerriga roads in the north and Moruya in the south. This was the worst case scenario laid out by Shoalhaven RFS incident controller Mark Williams as he addressed a packed community meeting in Ulladulla on Friday. We hope it doesn't come to that but it is best we prepare for the worst. You can watch the meeting here. Just scroll through the live blog and you'll find a link to the meeting plus rolling coverage.
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Before we head back to the fire ground, a couple of observations about the past few days.
While the monstrous flames and huge smoke columns are spectacular, the close calls almost beyond belief and burnt landscape heartbreaking, the abiding memory of this emergency will be the people we have met along the way. The oyster farmer who, having almost lost his home, broke out his Clyde River produce to feed the firies. The elderly couple, whose house somehow survived, that took the time to bury a kangaroo which wasn't so lucky. The Bawyley Point bloke who'd lost power and was cooking sausages on a smouldering log in the bush just metres from his home. The interior designer who almost lost her home but is carrying on keeping firefighters fed.
And, of course, the firefighters. They're often too busy to talk and most are not interested in glory. But glorious they are.
This fire will not be extinguished by firefighters. The only thing that will put it out is rain - lots of it - and there's none on the horizon.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to bring you stories from the fire front. We can do this because of the support you give us. For that, we thank you.
We are all, as you know, in this together.
