A TEXT message by the Rural Fire Service about noon Thursday was the first time Bonnie Edwards felt the impact of the fire burning near her Heatherbrae home.
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The soon-to-be mother, who was at work at the time, raced back to her Speedy Lock Lane home to load her horses in a float and chuck some clothes and dog in the car.
‘‘All I grabbed was pretty much baby clothes,’’ Ms Edwards said.
While a friend took her horses to the safety of a Medowie property, Ms Edwards, partner Aaron and dog Kent headed to the Raymond Terrace emergency centre at King Park.
The centre was established by Port Stephens Council after the fire at Heatherbrae, which had been burning since Sunday, broke containment lines about 11am.
‘‘It’s a bit stressful,’’ Ms Edwards said.
‘‘We live on 150 acres that’s all mulched.
‘‘It is goes up, it will go up.
By 3.30pm residents from the Williamtown and Tomago areas began trickling in to the centre, unable to return home.
Ms Edwards’ neighbour Joy Wilmott joined the couple at the emergency centre with only her handbag and two dogs.
‘‘I rescued my dogs, nothing else,’’ she said.
The RSPCA established a veterinary clinic and shelter at the Raymond Terrace emergency centre for animals which arrive with evacuees.
RSPCA veterinarian Simone Cooper said all services are free and staff on hand are prepared for any situation.
‘‘Hopefully most animals are fine,’’ she said.
‘‘But we’ve got the clinic set up just in case.’’
This is the second time since Sunday Tomago Road resident Rebecca Baker and two children, Keiran, 11, and Emily, 14, have been told to evacuate their home.
Ms Baker said after Sunday’s evacuation she was more prepared this time.
‘‘After Sunday we sort of had a plan, this is what we’ll do,’’ she said.
‘‘I grabbed the important things, the birth certificates, photos and my work laptop.
‘‘We left the sprinklers running.’’
Ms Baker loaded herself, two dogs, a cat and budgee into the car and caravan and waited until she could pick her children up from school before heading the emergency centre.
She said it looked like she was in for the long-haul.
‘‘I know we can’t get onto Tomago Road,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s no chance of getting home tonight.’’
