'The time the skies turned orange': three years on from the Carrai East Bushfire

Three years ago on November 8, 2019, dry and windy conditions produced the perfect storm for the Carrai East Bushfire to pick up speed and ferocity as it moved towards the upriver communities of Bellbrook and Willawarrin.

At the time, I was a reporter new to the job and had been working at the Macleay Argus for just over one year.

I can remember heading to the Kempsey Cup on that day with the smell of smoke in the air. Fires had been slowly burning for weeks further west and the smell had become constant.

Looking back through photos we took at the races, you can see the smoke and ominous orange glow become thicker and stronger throughout the day, something we didn't realise was happening at the time.

It became apparent around lunchtime on November 8, 2019, that the Carrai East Bushfire was moving rapidly towards Willawarrin and we changed gears from race coverage to covering the bushfire.

It wasn't until the following days and weeks that the extent of the Carrai East "mega fire" became known.

I sat down with former Rural Fire Service (RFS) Lower North Coast Zone Superintendent Lachlann Ison in 2020, one year after the fire, and he said the weather leading up to that day created the perfect storm for dangerous fire conditions.

"In the absence of any rain, the lightning storms started rolling in across the Macleay at the end of October with a lot of lightning and no rain," he said.

A lightning storm on October 16, 2019, started both the Jacobs Spur fire and the Carrai East fire.

Weather conditions were predicted to worsen on November 7, 2019, as RFS crews worked to contain the fires west of Kempsey.

These warm and dry conditions continued into the following day. November 8 was forecast to be a day of severe fire danger, however it was upgraded to extreme before lunchtime when conditions worsened.

The RFS predicted the Jacobs Spur fire and the Andersons Rd fire to be the ones to watch, however it was the Carrai East "mega fire" that broke containment and bore down on the upriver communities.

Locals quickly fled into Willawarrin before the danger threatened the village and then moved further east to Kempsey to escape the fire.

In the following months, many residents of Willawarrin recalled the ferocity and speed of the fire that bore down on the village.

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Kempsey Shire mayor Leo Hauville said November 8, 2019, is a day residents of the Macleay Valley will never forget.

"It was the day fireballs quickly progressed the fires out of the Willi Willi National Park area due to ferocious southerly winds," he said.

"Most of us will clearly remember that devastating time when the skies turned orange and burnt leaves and ash rained down on us."

The Carrai East Bushfire had a devastating impact on the Macleay community. The blaze burnt through 150,000 hectares of land, destroyed over 60 homes and sadly claimed the life of local man Barry Parsons.

Related: NSW bushfire Inquiry told of man who died attempting to flee his home

In the Kempsey LGA:

"Throughout the fires, 46 per cent of our shire burned and 340 houses, outbuildings and fences were damaged or destroyed in the blazes. Key industries were impacted including primary producers and forestry," Cr Hauville said. "The local wildlife suffered terribly."

Cr Hauville said we all have stories to tell from this time.

"I recall my street being door-knocked by NSW Fire and Rescue staff, notifying us we may have to leave soon. Many other people have much more horrific stories to tell of uncertainty, worry and concerns," he said.

"Many of us are still coming to terms with the events of those days and there is help available."

Please reach out to organisations like Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636.