Within only three minutes, day turned to night as winds of 100km/h lashed the area, embers rained down and the Currowan inferno passed over a Dunmore Rural Fire Service crew.
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As they were overrun with the fire front, the captain knew he had three jobs to do: save the Tomerong property, protect the truck but most importantly keep his crew safe.
In an unbelievable feat, the crew did all three.
Dunmore brigade captain Greg Hardy has released shocking dashcam footage of the truck being hit with fire while the crew was doing property protection along Turpentine Road on January 4.
The crew were receiving a supply of drinking water from another RFS truck when a southerly wind change arrived 10 minutes earlier than forecast.
What happened next is almost unimaginable for those not in the RFS.
Mr Hardy said the the first sign of fire was 100-metres away and only one-metre tall. The other truck left.
Then the Dunmore crew braced themselves and got to work.
"We were covered with smoke by 7pm and less than a minute later there was an extreme ember attack and multiple spot fires," Mr Hardy said.
"Then we were overrun by the fire. Flames were more than 50 metres high.
"We were out of the truck defending the house with a hose line. We couldn't even see the house. We didn't know whether it was alight."
Mr Hardy said a crew member jumped into the truck to turn on the cabin spray to protect the vehicle from embers.
"I was running around hitting the truck with water while another crew member used a small hose line to douse the rest of the truck to keep it safe," he said.
"The fire was moving north rapidly. We turned the spray off because we didn't want to lose all our water. We did that another two times. It was crazy and full on."
Mr Hardy said visibility was so poor that they could only see five or eight metres in front of them.
"We knew where the house was, so we were pointing the hose towards it. We kept using the hoses to wet ourselves and the truck."
Plus there was the "unbearable" heat.
"Under the 50-metre flame height, with a southerly, the heat was massive and extreme," he said. "Our adrenaline was high and because we were doing our jobs we forgot about it.
"But it was bloody hot in our gear and helmets. Continually hosing ourselves helped."
Mr Hardy said after the main fire front had passed, the crew had to quickly fill the truck with water from a neighbouring property's dam and got back to the house as there was still a major risk of it catching alight from embers.
Mr Hardy said the house was saved but some of the garden was burnt.
The crew continued to patrol the area into the night to make sure no spot fires ignited.
The captain said he could not be prouder of his crew for the amazing job they did under stressful and incredibly dangerous circumstances.
"I have been in the service for 25 years and I have never been in that situation. I hope to never see anything like it again," he said.
"My crew listened to everything I said and they thanked me for the way I controlled the situation. Everyone felt safe."
At one point, Mr Hardy told two of his crew members to go inside as they were starting to cough.
They got into the truck to have a breather but within 30 seconds they were back out helping.
"I expected them to stay in longer but they wanted to be involved, help and make sure everyone else was safe," he said.
Mr Hardy said other captains may have handled the situation differently but looking back he would not have changed how he handled the incident.
"Another captain may have gone into an emergency drill and stayed in the truck but I knew I had a good, experienced crew," he said.
"I had faith in them and I knew we would get through it."
None of the crew members had seen a fire like that before despite their more than 75 years of combined service, but even though they weren't "calm", their training kicked in.
The crew are doing well thanks to the support from each other, volunteers from the brigade and their families.
Mr Hardy said the experience highlighted how quickly a fire could change and move.
"That's why people need to adhere to the advice provided by RFS members," he said. "You do not want to be caught in that situation."
Mr Hardy said the crew knew there were still residents in the area when the fire front hit but thankfully everyone was safe.
It has been Australia's lost summer. Drought, hail, floods and, worst of all, bushfires have ravaged communities all over the nation. But the selfless actions of friends, family, neighbours, strangers, local groups and volunteer organisations have inspired us and strengthened the bonds of community. Please join us in saying thanks to the heroes of the home front by sharing your stories of gratitude. To salute a person or a group, please use the form below.
