Sydney bushfire: Alfords Point family reunited after 24 hours
ALFORDS POINT mum-of-three Manal Ayoub, 36, said there was a point when the flames came so close that she genuinely feared for her husband’s life.
NSW
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ALFORDS POINT mum-of-three Manal Ayoub, 36, said there was a point when the flames came so close that she genuinely feared for her husband’s life.
Paul Ayoub, 43, stayed back to battle the massive blaze after getting his distraught family to safety.
“There was 20 minutes of real intensity where he said, ‘It’s right here, it’s coming’, and they could feel the heat. It was crazy, all the hoses were out and it was all hands on deck,” she said.
“It looked so bad ... I was afraid for our men. We were on our knees praying for them all to be safe.”
Ms Ayoub said she’s lived at the property for 15 years and has “never experienced anything like this in my life”.
“We’re so blessed it didn’t come to the homes because it was so close,” she said.
Mr Ayoub said he would become a volunteer firefighter after the close shave he experienced today.
“It’s good to help the boys out and do your part for the neighbourhood,” he said.
“I’m exhausted but relieved it’s been downgraded. Obviously it’s not over yet though.”
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He said being reunited with his family after 24 hours apart was one of the highlights amid the chaos.
He was particularly relieved his daughter Liana, 12, who has asthma, was well.
Nick Demetriou, 45, has lived at his Alfords Point home for eight years and said he’s never seen anything like the blaze, which “came out of nowhere”.
He stayed behind on Saturday evening to defend the property after sending his family to safety, working through the night to hose the house down.
“I got the family off last night about 9.30pm but it really came out of nowhere. So off to our left during the day you could see it in the distance and then out of nowhere, it crept up on us on the left hand side and we decided to call it a night,” he said.
“I stuck around — I had the car loaded and was ready to go ... none of us have slept. We’ve pretty much been here since then but yeah, I said I’d stay just in case if there’s any embers flying around.
“I know there’s been some big fires over the years through the area but this is my first.”
Mr Demetriou said he was feeling more confident after the fire was downgraded but would still spend the night at his house in case conditions deteriorated.
Volunteer firefighter and Alfords Point resident Latsi Tisaj, 62, has lived in the area for almost 30 years.
He said his wife “wouldn’t leave if you tried to drag her” despite battling five fires since first moving into their family home in 1989.
“I’d say danger-wise this fire has been the worst for this part of the area with houses around Royal Oak,” he said.
“But it’s still my home and it’s easier to be here as opposed to sit at my mother-in-laws listening to the news.”