Central Hotel Zeehan Publican Larry Cuevas describes the feeling of having a bushfire bare down on his hometown

For Central Hotel Zeehan Publican Larry Cuevas, it was the smoke that was the toughest part of having to deal with the bushfires that are ravaging the West Coast.

Zeehan late on February 12th with bushfires closing in on the town. Picture: Alan Jennison

The owner of the main pub at Zeehan has described the emotions he felt as a bushfire got within 5km of his hometown.

Zeehan was placed under an emergency warning on Thursday, but that had been downgraded to a watch and act on Friday.

Central Hotel Zeehan Publican Larry Cuevas said having a bushfire so close to the town was daunting.

“It’s hard to describe. The smoke was so thick, and the sky was orange,” Mr Cuevas said.

“I just tried to remain calm.”

Central Hotel Zeehan Publican Larry Cuevas. Picture: Supplied.

North West strike team at Zeehan on February 13th. Picture: North Motton Fire Brigade

On Thursday, Mr Cuevas took to Facebook to tell the public his “hotel is open for anyone in desperate need for a bed, shelter or a beer” and that he was “here to assist through these uncertain times”.

“We have had quite a few people come through, actually. But a lot of people have retreated to Queenstown,” he said.

For Mr Cuevas, the smoke from the fire was the most difficult thing to deal with.

“Yesterday it looked bad because the wind was pushing towards the town, and the smoke was carried via wind.

“But today, it’s not that windy, so there’s not that windy, so there’s not that much smoke coming over here – it’s going more north.

“It doesn’t look that bad today, and the fire hasn’t really moved a whole heap. People are feeling a lot more confident and hopeful.”

Mr Cuevas said he tried to remain calm during the fires.

“The way that I sort of see it, the fires that came through 2019 and 1980, if you’ve been through that, then you know what to expect.”

He also reiterated that the Central Hotel was still open for anyone who needed assistance.