Hi all, been awhile haven't been doing much except helping people as much as we can. It will be a long time till life gets back to normal.
Some photos to explain what we've been through and the extensive recovery period Lake Conjola is going to need.
The view up the lake from our house right up to the escarpment under those low clouds which is around 21 kilometres to our West showing the forests before the fires.
Around 12.20pm on New Years Eve we were out the front of our house looking West and reports of
Houses going up at West Conjola (Conjola Park) started to filter in and neighbours jumped on jet skis
And into their speed boats to go and rescue people who driven their cars into the lake or ran into the lake
To escape the flames.
Quickly got worse by the minute
In such a short time because the winds were getting up to gale force from the Nor’West ember attacks started spot fires
Increasingly closer and closer to us and people started to evacuate to the beach.
Then those spot fires got a hold and the inferno started, the wind was increasing in velocity by the minute and the
Sound increasing.
This YouTube video link shows the ember attacks coming from across the lakehttps://youtu.be/ZXFqUU6Vx4oThen it pretty much had taken over the whole bush, the noise was incredible sounding like a jet engine and the heat intense.
My neighbour was taking these shots, we had wet towels over our faces and had quickly grabbed some family heirlooms and put them in
The boat, said good by to the house, put the dogs in the boat and started firefighting ember attacks.
Chinamans Island about 800 metres to our Nor’East houses of our friends going up in flames, hearing
Their petrol containers and gas bottles exploding
After hours of this and the loss of over 90 homes and hundreds of cars and dreadful loss of three lives.
The wind changed to gale force winds from the South and the whole bush to our south was now a raging
Inferno, we had another 8 hours of firefighting so save our two sons houses as the flames were getting blown
Right up to their homes, the heat was unimaginable and the smoke inhalation was hard and our eyes were red
and so sore.
The devastation is beyond belief. Just in our area there has been almost a 1,000,000 acres wilderness bushland burnt and not just
burnt but blackened in such a hot fire, the trees are literally black tooth picks and the ground nothing but ash
for hundreds of kilometres in any direction. The toll on the animals and birds is unimaginable.
The recovery of the area is going to be measured in years.
Below is a link to a folder on my Microsoft One Drive account of some other photos of the devastation taken by the community.
Once you open up the link, just use your right navigation button on your keyboard to click through the photos.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhWwR0IgcYVwlPUOjjqMaMijhTXq6Q?e=BlCaWrCheers,
Jim
OMG Jim ... these scenes and descriptions are wholly unimaginable to those who have never stood toe to toe with the beast and felt the dragons breath upon their face. I have done so on more than one occasion, but even still can't imagine what you and your family have been through, and are still in the midst of !
My condolences to all those who have lost so much, and to all who have had to suffer the fear and uncertainty.
I'm greatly relieved to hear from you once again my friend, and truly glad that it seems you have successfully fought your way through this devastation and disaster. Not at all surprised to hear that you are deeply involved with helping the community around you, and thus have no time for your usual sharing with us here.
Thank you for taking the time to bring us up to date, and advise us of your ongoing activities that deny us the pleasure of your company, and likely will for some time to come. But I must tell you that hearing from you again has now done much to assuage my deeper fears, and I am very thankful for all those whose thoughts and prayers were focused on you and your family during this impossibly trying time!
All the best that can possibly be ...... from me to all of you.
Jim glad you and family made it through the fire. Hope all the people of
Lake Conjola will get through this disaster OK but it will take time to
get back to normal. Thanks for showing the photos and showing
what everyone through this big forest fire.
So great to finally hear from you Jim! But what a terrible experience that I cannot even imagine...
Bonjour Jim,
In France, we have not seen such personal pictures which show how violent these fired were.
As your family and you are safe, I wish you will rebuild an environment as similar as the one before and find again a peaceful life.
And I hope your insurance system is efficient face such a disaster.
So glad to hear you made it through the worst of it Jim and my thoughts and prayers go out for you and everyone else as you rebuild and recover from this terrible tragedy.
first of all , praise God that you and your family are apparently safe, thank you for sharing these very graphic and humbling photos with us Jim. they help to give us a little insight on the horror that you folks have endured for the last couple of weeks. the photo showing the fire just outside the windows, and the streams of aluminum running out from beneath cars really help to tell the story. when near death is so close that you drive your auto into the lake or you jump in the water yourself is almost unimaginable to me. I understand that in times of great trial you do what you have to do....and YOU did 👍
I thank God you made it through 😐
Jim, so glad to hear from you.
Such a heart-wrenching / gut-wrenching disaster.
One of your photos particularly breaks my heart:
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Good to hear from you Jim. It’s a long hard road to travel I am sure. God bless and be safe.
So good to hear from you Jim, glad you are safe & well.
Interesting to see those series of photos, it must have been absolutely terrifying in person.
Hi Jim, It is just great to hear from you again. Thank you so much for the update. Simone and I were growing quite worried.
I hope you and your family are well. Did your house survive the fires?
So very happy and relieved to hear from you Jim !
Even if still completely unfathomable for most, your pictures here illustrate at least the tip of the horror you´ve all experienced very well.
Thanks for the update, much appreciated.
Our house is built 3' off the ground, last week when the heavens opened up we had a flood of 3' 1" that 1" did a lot of damage and the 3' has done so much damage to my tool sheds, detached garage and other sheds. To go from the NYE fires to a devastating flood is a real kick in the guts.....the whole area is now doubly written off
AWWWW Jim ...... I'm gut wrenched for you my friend!
What a bummer of a double whammy!!
But still, you are there, and I'll ever be THANKFUL for that alone, if nothing else!!!