- Title: Retirees in Lake Conjola 'lost everything' from 'ferocious' bushfire
- Date: 1st January 2020
- Summary: LAKE CONJOLA PARK, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (JANUARY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DEBRIS BURNT TO GROUND VARIOUS HOME BURNT TO RUBBLE RETIRED RESIDENT, HELEN DWYER (RIGHT), LOOKING AT DAMAGES ON HER RETIREMENT HOME (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAKE CONJOLA PARK RETIRED RESIDENT, HELEN DWYER, SAYING: "Well, yesterday morning everything happened very quickly. We were told to leave, the fire was coming in from the north and so, just packed up in the car and went. And went down to the lake and this is what we came back to." DAMAGED VEHICLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAKE CONJOLA PARK RETIRED RESIDENT, HELEN DWYER, SAYING: "Yeah, it was pretty ferocious yesterday from what we're told, there would've been no stopping at anything. I thought that we were, you know, sort of prepared enough, you know, as we left but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. It was all, it would've all gone. The fire was too ferocious." BURNT RETIREMENT HOME (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAKE CONJOLA PARK RETIRED RESIDENT, HELEN DWYER, SAYING: "I think, you know, last night we had time for it to sink in a bit, we've lost everything, you know, and now we have to move on. So, you know, (inaudible) you know, you can't think any other way." DAMAGED HOMES (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAKE CONJOLA PARK RETIRED RESIDENT, HELEN DWYER, SAYING: "It's upsetting to lose your memories, that's very upsetting but you can't dwell on it, you know, if you dwell on it then you'd just be upset all the times. That doesn't get you anywhere, you've got to move on. We've got to now sort out what we do with our dogs, what we do, we've had office, we've got very good family, friends who have given us office, of houses. So we just got to sit down and work out what we need to do now and go on from there. Very good friends down here, we've made, so yes everybody is very supportive, wonderful neighborhood, you know, very supportive neighborhood so I'm sure we will all rebuild." VARIOUS MAN WALKING AND LOOKING AT BURNT HOUSE OFF PRINCESS HIGHWAY, NEAR JERVOIS BAY ROAD, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (JANUARY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS FIRE FIGHTERS HOSING DOWN BUSHFIRE SMOKE BILLOWING FROM TREES FIRE FIGHTERS REELING OUT HOSE PRINCESS HIGHWAY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (JANUARY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) (MUTE) DRIVE ALONG PRINCESS HIGHWAY NEAR ULLADULLA, PARTS COVERED IN SMOG
- Embargoed: 15th January 2020 10:21
- Keywords: Australia Bushfire New South Wales burnt damage fire homes retirement wild fire
- Location: LAKE CONJOLA PARK, PRINCESS HIGHWAY, NEW SOUTHWALES, AUSTRALIA
- City: LAKE CONJOLA PARK, PRINCESS HIGHWAY, NEW SOUTHWALES, AUSTRALIA
- Country: Australia
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001BUCAZWN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As Australians reel in after 'fast moving' wild fire spread to the south by New Year's Eve, hundreds of homes were reduced to rubble and the remaining properties charred.
Retiree, Helen Dwyer, who had moved to her retirement home three years ago, said she's 'lost everything' from the natural disaster. Up to 90 homes were also gone.
"Well, yesterday morning everything happened very quickly. We were told to leave, the fire was coming in from the north and so, just packed up in the car and went. And went down to the lake and this is what we came back to," Dwyer told Reuters.
"I thought that we were, you know, sort of prepared enough, you know, as we left but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. It was all, it would've all gone. The fire was too ferocious," she added.
But instead of dwelling on the losses, Dwyer said she is already thinking of moving on and is certain that people can 'rebuild' from the fire.
Fanned by soaring temperatures, columns of fire and smoke blackened entire towns on Monday and Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents and holidaymakers to seek shelter on beaches. Many stood in shallow water to escape the flames.
Cooler conditions on Wednesday gave the country a moment to count the cost of the fires, although there were still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground.
Police said early assessments have found nearly 200 homes in New South Wales have been destroyed, though they cautioned it was an early estimate.
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