A woman whose house was destroyed by a bushfire which razed 6,000 hectares of farmland and forest in Western Australia, says her family had just 10 minutes to flee.
The fire burning near Donnybrook in WA's South West was contained on Monday after threatening lives and homes for a nearly a week.
The fire escalated on Saturday afternoon, and some locals have questioned whether firefighters left too soon.
One property was destroyed in the fire and others were damaged, while two residents received minor burns defending their properties.
Escape to safety
Kristy Milne told Channel Nine News she didn't hesitate when she saw the fire bearing down her house on Saturday.
"My brain went, 'kids, car, leave',and that was it," she said.
"The kids' lives and my life are most important.
"It's devastating and it's going to be a long journey - but as long as we are OK.
Ms Milne said she was grateful for locals - who have raised almost $10,000 to help her.
"We are just so grateful, knowing that the whole community has our back," she said.
Long road ahead
National parks and campgrounds were still closed while residents impacted by the fire could apply for a restricted access permit to enter designated areas for a certain amount of time yesterday
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions incident controller Brad Barton said he heard one cow, one pig and 1,000 chickens had been lost in the latest flare up.
It was an incredibly stressful period for horse owners who spent hours evacuating their animals early in the week and returned them home once the fire was downgraded, only to be forced to evacuate a second time as the emergency warning was re-issued.
Horse owners stranded
Collie resident and farrier Vetty Bailey volunteered her time to help transport animals in and out of the region and said it was quite upsetting to learn that the conditions had changed so rapidly.
"A lot of owners had delivered their horses back to their properties earlier in the day and then an hour later, we were all shut out," she said.
"It was very, very fast and the flames were very big.
"We all thought it was safe and people had gone back to work. They'd unhooked their horse floats, they'd let their animals back in the paddocks."
Ms Bailey said one of her clients was forced to walk 4.7km with five horses to reach the safety of the roadblock.
"The horse community has been outstanding," she said.
"I arrived at a property very late with a mare and foal and the owner opened the gate and welcomed me with open arms and gave me a cuddle because I was bawling my eyes out and I've never met her before.
"I am covered in bruises, bites and rope burns because it's a high stress situation and even the best animal that loads well is going to be stressed."
Young volunteer comes to rescue
For some horses and owners who were stuck with no way out, help came in the form of 23-year-old volunteer firefighter Keagan McIntyre who was working at a nearby horse stud.
He spent hours running in and out of properties, dodging electric fences and kicks from frightened horses to help with the rescue effort.
About 20 horses were transported to safety thanks to his efforts.
"I wasn't leaving them behind, the fire was way too close," he said.
"You have to go about horses sensibly, you can understand what they're feeling and as long as you are working with that and showing that they can trust you, you'll gain that trust.
"By the time I got out I was choking and spewing, I had that much smoke in my lungs and I could barely see."
Residents say they felt abandoned
Locals in the Glen Mervyn area whose properties were impacted by the fire on Saturday said they were alone when the fire flared up again.
Parts of Melanie O'Farrell's property were destroyed by fire and her neighbour's husband was one of the residents injured.
"There were no supplies, you can't get people in and out to help, you feel on your own, you feel abandoned really," Ms O'Farrell said.
She blamed a lack of resources and a downgrade in the warning level for the outcome.
Ms O'Farrell said the fire kicked up again at a creek near their property.
"It could've been stopped if [firefighters] had have stayed the Friday night and completely blacked out that creek instead of leaving it," she said.
"None of us would have been suffering now."
Emergency warnings can get 'diluted'
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the fire was being managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction at the time it was downgraded.
He said a lot of work went into the decision to downgrade the warnings but it was important to downgrade fires where suitable.
"If we leave a fire on an emergency warning for a long period of time… then the benefit of the emergency warning is diluted over time because it's on for so long," Mr Klemm said.
He said it could never be assumed by residents that a watch and act signalled that danger had passed.
"A watch and act is equally important because it does still speak to changing conditions and requirements for the community to maintain their vigilance and prepare to act," he said.
Mr Barton said alerts were sent out based on the risk a fire posed to the community and was not about how well resourced the fire was.
"An advice level still tells people to stay alert."
