Extraordinary stories are coming out of the NSW Southern Highlands village of Balmoral, which was decimated by the weekend's bushfires.
Elsewhere, volunteer firefighter Russell Scholes lost his home on Saturday night while he was out protecting his neighbours' properties.The crew had been called in to protect people and property when the fire quickly moved in."The guys came over and tapped me on the shoulder and they said 'sorry'."
"When I turned around, I saw the house burning. It's one of those things you think only happens in the movies where the guys fighting the fires lose [their] home, but that close [to where I was] was a bit surreal."He said important possessions like photographs had been packed up in the car in advance, and although it had been traumatic he remained philosophical about his property.
"That's replaceable," he said, pointing at the pile of rubble that was his former home."The kids and family aren't."
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