Once Burnt, Twice Shy by Karly Lane

Author:Karly Lane [Karly Lane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2021-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

Sam looked out at the bustling showground. It was amazing, really. Despite all the chaos and uncertainty happening around them, life was continuing with a normal kind of routine. Meals were provided by a team of volunteers. Animals were being cared for through community organisations. And all around her, there were offers of help that provided great comfort, despite the fact no one actually knew anything for certain. Newcomers brought news about which properties were still standing, but the majority of people wouldn’t know anything for some time yet. The not knowing was probably the worst.

Sam looked over as a group walked into the hall: one man in the familiar Rural Fire Service uniform, along with a man in a National Parks uniform and another man she didn’t recognise. They shook hands with the president of the Rotary Club, who called out to the room.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please. I have with me Mick Benson, the public liaison officer who’s been sent along tonight to give us an update on the fire situation and hopefully give us a little bit more information.’

Mick, a short man with a quiet authority about him, stepped forward and greeted the crowd. ‘I know a lot of you have been here for a number of days now, and it must be incredibly frustrating, but as this fire is constantly changing, relaying up-to-date information has been extremely challenging. At this stage we have two out-of-control fires burning on two fronts surrounding our town. The Rural Fire Service has every available man and woman out there in the field fighting as we speak. We are doing everything we can to protect as many properties as possible, but this fire is unlike anything we’ve seen. It’s relentless, and the weather conditions are only adding to the danger. Tomorrow’s forecast has placed our valley into the catastrophic category. I’m not saying this to scare everyone, I’m saying it because that’s what it is. Temperatures are set to soar and we’re expecting strong winds. It’s the perfect conditions for an already huge fire to turn, well … catastrophic,’ he said, shaking his head helplessly. ‘We’re expecting more out-of-area assistance crews to arrive later tonight to relieve our local crews where possible, which is going to be a huge relief.’

‘When do you expect we’ll be able to get back to our homes?’ someone asked from the back of the hall.

‘I sympathise with your frustration. But as I said, we’re expecting a massive day tomorrow and we have no idea how much damage will occur, or even how widespread it’ll be. There’s a high probability it could reach the outskirts of town if it continues on its current trajectory,’ he said, and an anxious murmur followed. ‘So,’ he continued, raising his voice, ‘you can understand that it’s near impossible to allow people access to places that are currently unstable due to ongoing fire threat.’

‘Well, can you give us any info on houses that have been lost?’ This time it was Ted who spoke up.

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