“It just keeps coming back.”
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Ruth Lunney was among the Campvale residents who were rattled and exhausted on Monday, as an erratic bushfire continued to burn in nearby scrub, just out of eye-shot.
Ms Lunney has lived on Wade Close, just north of Richardson Road, for around four decades. While the last fire – in 2013 – was more intense, this one was more unpredictable, she said.
“It went to red alert quite suddenly on Sunday, it was very frightening,” she said.
The fire charged towards Wade Close on Saturday evening, and made another run at homes on Sunday, whipped up by gale-force winds. On both days, Ms Lunney was forced to evacuate to Medowie with family members and her dogs.
On Monday, most of the stretch was still deserted and blanketed in heavy smoke, as two water-bombing helicopters took turns dousing surrounding bushland.
To the west, patches of grass were blackened along the edge of Grahamstown Dam, while pockets of vegetation back from the road were still smouldering.
Along Richardson Road, several residents spoke of sleepless nights since Saturday, as the fire continued to burn less than a kilometre away. But all who spoke to the Herald were adamant: they would stay and defend.
“I’ve been here all my life … the only time I’ve been away was when I got married for a year-and-a-half,” said Ken Sewell, 65.
The former deputy fire controller spent Monday hosing his gutters and dampening the house down.
“It’s not the value, it’s the memories,” he said. “Mum would have bought here in the ‘40s.”
Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Alison, was preparing to take her husband out for a birthday dinner when the fire escaped containment lines on Saturday.
She was “trembling” on Sunday, as winds of up to 80 kilometres an hour drove the blaze towards her home.
“When you smell smoke and the wind direction is the right way, you know it’s coming for you,” she said.
She was one of a number of residents bewildered by the weather conditions, as temperatures plummeted to the low 20s, but wind gusts pushed hot air from the fire ground over their properties.
“It’s been hot, then it’s cold, then it’s windy, then it’s raining,” she said.
Another neighbour, Evelyn Reeves, praised the efforts of firefighters, who patrolled Richardson Road into the early hours of the morning. An RFS spokesperson said they had been working extremely hard in “trying conditions”.
“They are grateful for the support they’re receiving from the community and their employers,” he said.
Easing winds a reprieve for firies
Firefighters are racing the clock to contain a fire that has razed more than 2300 hectares of bushland at Williamtown, ahead of another burst of heat predicted to arrive on Friday.
Over 130 firefighters spent Monday back-burning near Richardson Road at Campvale and along trails north of Newcastle Airport.
A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesperson said they had “some success” in strengthening containment lines, aided by a dozer and water-bombing aircraft.
“The strength of the wind is a lot less than it has been over the last few days,” he said. “People around the fire-affected area should remain vigilant, with hot temperatures predicted towards the end of the week.”
The fire, which started last Monday, is suspected to have been caused by lightning.
The RFS spokesperson said crews worked hard to gain containment last week, but were hampered by swampy vegetation and gale-force winds that blew in over the weekend.
There have been no reports of property damage.