Bush Fires

I was going to do a Friday Fancies today but I've had a really tough week. My final essays are due and on top of that there were bush fires.

I live in Winmalee, and last Thursday I drove to the shops nearby and noticed a large plume of smoke and I thought it was the Lithgow fire, but it was far too close. When I came home I checked the Fires Near Me app and found there was a fire in Springwood, which is right next to Winmalee.

I thought it was quite far so I bummed around the house until I noticed thick black smoke coming down the street. I called my husband and we decided it was best for me to pack up a bag, the cats and get out. I went to drive out of Spingwood but the fire had crossed the Hawkesbury Rd and I had to go to the evacuation centre at Winmalee shopping centre. The vet there is very kind, and let me bring the cats in and let them out in a consultation room. I hung out for a few hours but knew I needed a place to stay, so I drove the other way down the Hawkesbury and went to my father in laws house where Nathan was waiting.

We spent the night and the next day we found out the fire was destroying homes in Springwood and surrounding suburbs, including Winmalee. At least nine houses on our street were lost, and the fire came up right behind our property but we were very, very lucky and no damage was caused. All of our neighbours are OK too, but if you drive up our street you pass only 8 homes before the first one is gone...that is very close.

Hundreds of homes were lost up here, that's hundreds of families with no where to go now. No lives were lost in the mountains fires, but I've heard many stories of pets that were killed or are missing.

This has been a hard week. I put the cats in a boarding place and we didn't get them home til yesterday and they are so clingy - Noah won't leave me alone. I am so glad that the house is OK but even happier that the cats are OK.  I am hoping life will get back to normal for us now. The fire is still burning but they are containing it. Life won't be normal for a while for the hundreds of families who lost their homes.

If you are so inclined, please donate to any of these places. Any little bit helps, and the RFS and other firies, the Salvos and all the coppers and volunteers who were up are here are AMAZING human beings. There aren't words to thank them.

RFS

Red Cross

Salvos - call 13 72 58
(I have issues with the Salvos, but they are helping a lot of people right now)

WIRES
The animals need us too!

If you read all of this, thank you! And if you donate, thank you again!

Megan xo