Carwoola fire: Residents return to burnt-out homes
Updated
Residents of the fire-ravaged Widgiewa Road waited anxiously to see if their homes were among 11 destroyed in the Carwoola fire.
What they found when they returned was a landscape transformed.
The waiting game
It was an anxious 24 hours for many residents in the Carwoola area.
On Friday afternoon they were evacuated as a fast moving and out-of-control grassfire swept through the rural community.
The blaze burnt through 3,500 hectares and destroyed 11 homes. It also damaged 12 others and also destroyed 45 outbuildings.
On Saturday many were allowed to return to their homes, or what was left of them.
"We don't know when we can get in, they can't tell us. Hopefully a couple of hours and we can get in," resident Odette Neumann said.
Behind the line
When they returned, they saw rugged bushland became scorched earth and charred trees.
The only contrast — the bright emergency tape tied to blackened gates marking the fate of the homes.
Photo:
The fire was fast and ferocious, burning everything in its path. (ABC News: Alkira Reinfrank)
In the fire's path
Kerry McInnis' home was spared in the blaze, but her nephew's prized possession was not so lucky.
The car had been left in her care while he spent the year abroad.
But she's not sure when to contact him in Papua New Guinea to break the news.
"We were looking after the car for our nephew but we sort of failed miserably," resident Kerry McInnis laughed.
Gone but not forgotten
The blaze was fast and ferocious.
With little notice, many residents stayed until the final moments, doing all they could to save their properties.
Vanessa Lindley fled with her family minutes before the flames took hold.
When they returned, their home of almost 20 years was reduced to a shell of its former self.
Despite the tragedy, neighbours came to the aid of friends in their time of need, ensuring the community can rebuild together.
"It's just gone. There's nothing, nothing left at all," resident Vanessa Lindley said.
Topics: fires, disasters-and-accidents, bushfire, queanbeyan-2620, nsw, canberra-2600, act
First posted
