As the weather gets colder in Western Australia, communities across the state are still picking up the pieces from one of the worst bushfire seasons on record.
The devastating bushfires of the past summer cost Neil Trevaskis and Craig Evans their home, left firefighters fatigued, and burnt through more than a million hectares of land.
It also saw thousands of head of prized livestock killed.
In February, Mr Trevaskis and Mr Evans lost nearly everything they owned in a bushfire in WA's South West.
"We heard a house had gone, but we didn't know it was ours," Mr Trevaskis said.
Through the media, the couple found out that their home was gone and nearly all their possessions ruined.
"All my mum's personal things, she's since deceased, wedding albums and things that I can never ever replace, that's the part that really gutted me," Mr Trevaskis said.
Record harvest sets stage for fire
The pair were not the only ones who had to start their lives over.
Over the summer, there were more than 1,400 bushfires in Western Australia, with at least 12 houses lost and almost 1.5 million hectares of land burnt.
As emergency services fought to protect Hester, other volunteer and career firefighters worked across the state to tackle massive fires around Corrigin, Narrogin, and Denmark.
It had been a dry few months in WA's agricultural region, and while farmers had celebrated a record-breaking grains harvest, Stephen Bolt was worried it had inadvertently set the table for a horrendous fire.
"The cropping acres have increased throughout this Wheatbelt area, and it's the same everywhere in WA, so there is so much more fuel available," he said.
When an authorised burn-off got out of control near his Corrigin property, his worst fears became a reality.
The fire cost Mr Bolt's business millions of dollars.
"We've had serious infrastructure lost with five major sheds being lost [and] pretty significant is losing embryo donor ewes and show rams which were housed in one of the sheds," he said.
Insurers representing the fire impacted farmers of Corrigin were considering legal action to determine liability.
Losses felt across the state
One hour east, in Narrogin, a downed power pole sparked a small blaze in an open paddock.
Farmer Angus Armstrong immediately jumped to action.
"We were trying to contact people to give them the warning to get out because the conditions were so bad, so hot, and so windy," he said
His house was spared, but hundreds of sheep could not be saved as the blaze tore through the area.
"Nothing really escaped," he said.
"Pretty much the fire on the day was so bad that nothing really escaped the fire. It pretty much burnt everything.
Tired firefighters tackle simultaneous fires
A week later, crews were faced with another challenge — 68 fires broke out in WA in just over two hours, and firefighters battled 100-kilometre wind gusts in four other towns.
The frequency and intensity of the fires were starting to take their toll on firefighters as they worked round the clock to save regional communities.
Head of the Volunteer Bushfire Brigade Dave Gossage said some volunteers were physically and mentally exhausted.
"It's soul-sapping when you're doing your darnedest to save property and life all the time."
"There's a lot of subconscious stress and trauma that you go through as a volunteer."
WA's Fire and Emergency Service Commissioner Darren Klemm said hot, dry, windy conditions this year had posed a huge challenge for firefighters.
'Overwhelming' impact on locals
The first big rains of the year have begun falling on the scorched earth and will continue over the cooler months.
But the impact of the summer fires will be lasting for all those impacted.
The Hester fire caused a hazmat issue after toxic chemicals were burnt when the blaze impacted a timber treatment plant.
Nearby resident Richard Stucken's home was spared, but much of his garden and home-grown produce was either burnt in the fire or had to be ripped out.
While soil testing showed contamination was low, Mr Stucken was worried.
"It's one of those things that has been playing in the back of my mind. Is the area going to be safe for the future for the kids," he said.
"I was very anxious. I felt sort of depressed too because while I had support from friends, family and the local community … everything was just overwhelming."
The fire was enough for Mr Trevaskis and Mr Evans to ensure they would never live in a bushfire-prone area again.
"My anxiety levels would just go through the roof," Mr Evans said.
