Fire!

My body is still protesting against yesterday's unannounced runaway fire.My eyes are burning, my back is acing and I have a mysterious pain in my hand.

We left Danie’s parents farm on Maclear yesterday morning to go to the church fete. The wind was really strong and Danie made the comment: “ I hope there are no fires today”  He just said it when he saw a very small and insignificant fire next to the road.  He immediately saw the danger in that small fire and we turned around to go and get some water to extinguish it.

I decided to make my way back up the farm road to take our three children and their cousin to the fete.  As I was leaving the farm gate a guy came running down the hill waving his arms franticly and I presumed he wanted me to turn around. I have seen so many movies of people trapped between fires that I decided to see if I can’t get past it, because it was really small 5 min ago.  As I came round the bend the fire was upon me.  Danie phoned me and just yelled “Turn around” this is where my memory goes a bit blurry because there really was no way to turn around but I did manage to back up and turn and drove back to the house (not sure how I did it though)  When I got there it seems that the smoke and flames was just everywhere. I chased the children inside the house, then Danie appeared and told me to get them out again and all into the car. By this time the children were screaming and crying but we all got back in the car. For in case the fire comes to the house and we need to escape. (Where too? I could not tell you)

This was my first fire and I was really scared.  Danie was there at one stage when we tried to phone the other family that has already left the farm but we could not get any signal.  I saw the seriousness of the situation within Danie’s face and mannerisms  and that scared me even more.  We finally got a hold of someone and according to them I sounded frantic ( I can’t remember what I said) It was after this that Danie disappeared into the smoke and I tried to keep the kids calm. It was at this stage that I really felt alone and scared. I could not see where the fire was. The smoke was everywhere and the children were hot in the car. I turned the aircon on told the children that we should pray.  We started praying to God to protect us,to send the fire around the house.   Here I lost all sense of time, all I can remember is the kids and I were praying there was a gale-force wind outside, flames, smoke and ash all over. I could not see very far, there was just so much smoke. I got out of the car at one stage to see where the flames where and my throat and eyes burned. I received a phone call to say that the helicopters and fire-fighters were on their way.  I was immensely relieved.

When some of the smoke disappeared I could see that God has answered our prayers and the fire was moving around the house leaving us safe.

 

It was only now that I could get out the camera and started to take pictures.  It was also during this time that the rest of the family returned like a white night through the burned fields around them. I was very relieved to not be alone anymore.

The helicopter – what a blessing!

Everything was black, except the patch around the house.

The helicopter and fire fighters continue to fight the fires for another 2 hours and small fires flared up during the night as well.  I had a fitful sleep and are still tired today.

If I close my eyes and can still hear the fire and smell the smoke. I guess I am a bit traumatised by the fire.

Zane was  really traumatised by the fire. I still need to debrief him sometime soon. Nêo-Rie was concerned about all the fun she was missing at the Fete, Engela was afraid the fire will go all the way to Patensie and hurt her dogs and cat.          

Family picture the morning before the fire

Jac did not realise what was going on, the smoke burned his eyes but he still dragged me to the swing. It felt surreal swinging him and this patch of green grass with the smoke and wind and ashes all around us.

Jac happy in his swing

Cousin Dries was helping the fire fighters