Nana Glen resident Warren Smith devastated by the loss of his ‘little slice of heaven’

Coffs Harbour mechanic Warren Smith worked all his life to afford his own home and now it’s just a memory. It was an old cottage, which was his “little slice of heaven”. So, he’ll “have a bit of a cry ... and then start clearing and rebuilding.”

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Mechanic Warren Smith will this afternoon return to the smouldering remains of his flattened home, where he is looking forward to a private cry.

The house was destroyed by a fast-moving out of control bushfire on Ellems Quarry Road in Nana Glen on the north coast, which burned so hot firefighters had to retreat at about 5.30pm on Tuesday.

Mechanic Warren Smith with his dog Ebony at his destroyed home on Ellems Quarry Rd, Nana Glen. Picture: Nathan Edwards

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The home was Mr Smith’s “heaven”, where he could enjoy the peaceful surrounds and decompress from the stresses of work.

“It was own little sanctuary where I couldn’t give a shit about the world or stresses of work,” Mr Smith said.

“It was an old cottage, which was my little slice of heaven.

“I’ll go up there and have a bit of a cry, get that over and done with, and then start clearing and rebuilding.”

All that remains of Warren Smith’s ‘sanctuary’ in Nana Glen. Picture Nathan Edwards.

The home was Mr Smith’s ‘heaven’ in picturesque Nana Glen. Picture Nathan Edwards.

The 61-year-old last saw his home briefly on Tuesday morning, before the fires hit, to collect his parents’ valuables that he had forgotten to pack.

“I raced back to get an old clock of mum’s she was given when she first got married in 1947,” he said.

“There was an old fob watch of dad’s too, that he got from working on the railways in Sydney back in the ‘50s.”

The out-of-control bushfire runs between Nana Glen and Glenreagh. Picture Nathan Edwards.

Mr Smith was told to leave his home by fighfighters. Picture Nathan Edwards.

Mr Smith evacuated to Coffs Harbour, where he was hoping for the best after being told personally by firefighters to leave.

The Daily Telegraph spoke to Mr Smith in Coffs Harbour as he was given the news nothing was left of his home of 22 years by a friend who was allowed through a roadblock to assess the damage.

Mr Smith was told by a friend there was nothing left of his home. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Water bombers were this morning flying over the charred rubble of Mr Smith’s home to keep fighting the Liberation Trail fire, which is still out of control although it had been downgraded from an emergency status.

Mr Smith described his emotions as a mixture of sadness and frustration.

“I’m trying not to cry,” Mr Smith said.

“I’ve been working all my life to afford my home and now it’s all gone, it’s just a memory.”

Lost...Mr Smith has taken aim at environmental activists opposed to hazard reduction burns. Picture Nathan Edwards.

Everything in its path was destroyed by the bushfire. Picture Nathan Edwards.

While full of praise for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers from Nana Glen and Glenreagh who put themselves between his home and the fire front, Mr Smith took aim at environmental activists opposed to hazard reduction burns.

“If I ever get anyone here start telling me about not burning off I’ll give them both barrels,” he said.

“The Aboriginals have been burning off for god knows how long, because they knew it’s a dry country and bushfires are a fact of life.”

The flattened remains of Les Pitman and Bettina Hartinger-Pitman’s Orara Way home. Picture Nathan Edwards.

All that remains of Warren Smith’s Ellems Quarry Rd, Nana Glen home. Picture Nathan Edwards

At least three homes have been destroyed between Nana Glen and Glenreagh, although efforts to accurately assess the full extent of the carnage have been hampered by fallen power lines over local roads.

Others were pinching themselves to find their homes hadn’t burned down, such as Chris and Ann Edwards.

The charred remains of Les Pitman’s oven and kitchen sink. Picture Nathan Edwards.

At the Edwards’ boundary fence, 50 metres from the back door, an old home on a neighbouring property belonging to Les Pitman and Bettina Hartinger-Pitman was completely destroyed.

Mason jars left in the dishwasher at the Pitman’s property had melted down to become one blob of glass.

The corrugated remnants pf Les Pitman and Bettina Hartinger-Pitman’s home. Picture Nathan Edwards.

A shed where Ms Hartinger-Pitman groomed dogs was also destroyed.

“We evacuated and we thought the fire had completely missed our place, but when we got back the trees were like Roman candles, with flames shooting out the top, and Les’ old place had burned down,” Mr Edwards said.

“The fire burned right to our back fence, so it’s a miracle we didn’t lose our house, which is on the market.”

Water bombers were this morning flying over the charred rubble of Mr Smith’s home. Picture Nathan Edwards.

At least three homes have been destroyed between Nana Glen and Glenreagh. Picture Nathan Edwards.

The ashes of Mr Smith’s parents, Val and Fred, are buried under a frangipani and hoop pine on the property.

If he had his time over, he would have salvaged a few of his father’s old tools that melted in the blaze.

Mr Smith was moved to tears when he arrived home this afternoon and the sobering reality set in.

“To actually see it, it tears me to pieces,” he said.

“Hence the voice, I don’t like crying but it does get into me a little bit.

“It’s not here no more and there’s nothing left to salvage.

“I’ll go to my niece’s place tonight and have a few beers to knock my head out and try not to think about it long enough to get some sleep.”

Originally published as Nana Glen resident Warren Smith devastated by the loss of his ‘little slice of heaven’