Homeowners Mike and Katie Greene fled with their children on Saturday afternoon before the fire reached their street.
Mike and Katie Green return on Sunday morning to their new home, which stood up to the fire.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
“It’s such a lovely local community – it’s just heartbreak,” Katie said. “The bush has been super-dry, and it was so hot and so windy … and the firefighters – amazing, amazing,” she told the Herald.
As the fire raged towards his street on Saturday afternoon, Foskett stayed behind with his nephews to defend his home. It also stood.
“Hell, yeah,” he said when asked if he was glad he stayed. “My house would’ve gone, for sure – nothing has been burnt here for 90 years.”
His 90-year-old neighbour, who has lived in the area for 70 years, said Koolewong had never had a bushfire before.
The fire remained alight on Sunday morning. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
The neighbour’s home was also saved by Foskett.
“We created a fire break for three houses – we scraped all the leaf litter away,” he said. “Because fire runs slowly down a hill, [the firebreak] stopped it.”
Most of his neighbours fled the fire, said Foskett. Premier Chris Minns said on Sunday that 25 adults and two children were in emergency accommodation across the Central Coast, with many others with family or friends.
“I’m the only one here – it’s like a ghost town,” Foskett said.
At 10am on Sunday, there were 76 fires burning across the state with 20 uncontained.
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