That's how Tomago resident Aaron Wilcox described the sight of the fires that tore through Port Stephens last Thursday night, leaving homes damaged and buildings destroyed.

Mr Wilcox lives close to the WesTrac headquarters on Tomago Road and spent all of Thursday trying to keep the fire from his home, watching helplessly as the wind continued to shift.

"All the trees across the road caught fire and the wind was sending them across so it was raining red embers, starting spot fires on the lawn," he said.

"The firies were all down at Campvale and Medowie and we had one truck with a three-person crew.

"I was running around with a bucket trying to put them out [but] the fire . . . got so hectic that at one point it would have been a 200-metre front on the opposite side of the road."

The thick smoke and constant sound of the wind fanning the flames made for a restless night, but Mr Wilcox was lucky; by Friday morning his home was still standing, even though spot fires continued to burn intermittently around his property this week.

However, down the road others were not so lucky.

Michelle Byrne saw her livelihood burn to the ground on Thursday, as fierce winds fanned the flames across Cabbage Tree Road, engulfing her dog grooming salon and a large shed belonging to her husband, John Hill.

"It's a lot of years accumulating, improving. I'd just stocked up the shop with product for the summer, [it's] all gone," she said.

"The little things keep popping into my mind, that's gone, that's gone."

Ms Byrne and Mr Hill had been prepared for the fires, and spent much of Thursday readying their property, but the speed that it hit overwhelmed them.

"We didn't have a chance," she said.

"It was too hot, the wind was too strong. I've been in fires before and with those sorts of winds there's nothing you can do."

And despite everything, Ms Byrne said she remained thankful - her house is still standing, and the chickens are still alive.