At the start of December last year (02), Sydney was stricken by fires. One of the worst fires started at Holsworthy and then worked it way through the bush till it ended up in Menai. The fire lasted almost a week, these are some photos that me and my father took as the fire passed right by us (as I live on the other side of the river to where they went through). All these photos where taken within about a 2 hour period, you can see the fire get closer and closer and the destruction it did on it's way.

NOTE: these files are so large that I had to shrink them down but just click on them if you want a larger image.

About 4.30 my father went down to the park across from the barracks and took these photos. It had already gone through half of the barracks by this time. I went there a few days later, I just wish I had my camera with me so I could have gotten photos of what the fire actually did. luckily they only lost some vehicles, and about 4 buildings.

 Then once my father got back we both went down to another park about 3/4Km down the river from where these first photos where taken. and then we just watched the fire get closer and closer, these are the photos that we took while down there.

About 6-6.30 the people on the other side of the river in Sandy point (I think that's what it's called) all had to be evacuated but as there is only one road in and out of the area they had to be evacuated by boat. As there was so many people and the boats couldn't come all the way in I was amount the 5 who went out and helped carry people and there stuff back to shore.

The next photo is of the army land that is on the river, you can actually see where the trees are burning, we were kicked out of the park about 7, we tried to go back down there about 20 mins later and by then this whole part below in this photo was already burnt and the fire had put it's self out.

These photos where taken just after we got kicked out of the park, we then went down to this park which was in between the first park my dad went to and the one where we had just been kicked out of. The first photo is looking back up to the park where we had just left and the second one is looking down to where my father had first taken the photos and then the third one is looking straight across the river from where we where. You can see the fire just behind the trees.

The fires where actually so bad that they had to bring in Elvis, or maybe it was the Hulk, or maybe the other one, not exactly too sure which one, but he came too. These are some photos of him. He kept flying right over the top of us, and every time that he did we would get wet.

      One thing that I always found interesting was how the sun looks during bush fire. Reason for these next few photos

        It was a pretty intense 2-3 hours we were lucky the fire didn't jump, well actually it did, and one house was destroyed. But luckily that was all the damage that happened on this side of the river.