Happy Valley Road resident Anala Linckens described returning to the home she shares with partner Artha Holmes on Saturday as like entering Mordor.
Everything was burnt like the Middle Earth realm from Tolkien’s novels but the couple were lucky that their house, shed and vegetable garden had been saved.
They evacuated after a spotfire started near the house on Friday and with no power they were without water.
“We packed and made our exit through the driveway that was burning on one side,” Anala said.
“It looked quite possible we would lose our house.”
Unbeknown to Anala and Artha fire crew came in and saved the house.
“Even the chook house with five chooks (with door open) was still there,” Anala said.
“The entire forest surrounding the house was burnt and it came quite close to the house.”
Denmark-born and raised Ian Osborne thought he was in trouble on Saturday afternoon when the fire loomed above his property on Osborne Road.
He raced to a dam to start sprinklers to save the house.
Ian had remained on his property after his wife, Julie Ross, evacuated to Albany about 3pm.
He spent the afternoon “racing all over the place” on his quad bike putting out fires and was concerned when the wind shifted.
Ian said the fire “clipped” the corner of the property but to the west there was “total destruction”.
At one stage the fire widened, retraced its path and jumped into a truffery.
“The wind shifted several times,” Ian said.
“It was quite dodgy.”
This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 10 February 2022.
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