Then she saw a text from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, received in the early hours of the morning, recommending evacuation. She saw the crimson glow of the fire over the hills.
And she smelt smoke inside her house.
Mrs Langdon is used to smelling smoke in summertime but this was different.
They packed their car up. They had the clothes on their backs, their passports and electronics and that was about it.
They had to leave their budgie, Sky, as her cage was too big to get into the car. They drove around until they worked out where the evacuation centre was.
“There are still people in the suburb, which I think is crazy,” Mrs Langdon said. “I’m from the country and it’s normally like oh yeah, she’ll be right, but I am worried now. I don’t want to freak my kids out but this is the first time I have felt unsafe.”
They had not heard anything about COVID-19 lockdown protocols in this situation, and confusion reigned, but the evacuees were doing their best to observe the rules.
‘I would rather go early’
Joe and Debbie Walters began to smell the smoke yesterday afternoon and ash began raining down by evening.
They have lived in Australia eight years and have never been evacuated before. But they are both asthmatic and the smoke was affecting her.
Joe and Debbie Walters with their dog at Brown Park Recreation Complex. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola
After getting the warning text message from DFES Debbie wanted to leave, despite it being the middle of the night and her husband not being too worried.
She went with her neighbour while her husband stayed behind a bit longer, packing up a few small things and important documents, and their pets, before joining her at the evacuation centre.
“For me it was trying to judge when and if to go … and where to go because everyone we know is in the same street,” Mrs Walters said.
“But then we were hearing car doors in the street, I was getting anxious, I said we need to move.
“I would rather go too early.”
‘We didn’t want to risk our kids’ lives’
Radha Rajinikanth and her husband stayed at first to defend their house but when they saw the smoke and red sky made the call to leave with their daughter, 16, son, 10, eight-month-old son and their pets.
Radha Rajini Kanth 41, Parinnitha Rajini Kanth 16, Sarrvesh Rajini Kanth 8 months and pet dog Cookie.Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola
“We didn’t want to risk our kids’ lives,” Mrs Rajinikanth said.
“I couldn’t think what to pack.
“We got the essentials.”
Her daughter said there were burnt leaves everywhere, and the sky was orange and covered in smoke.
“I have seen it in bushfire videos but this was the first real life experience,” she said. “It was scary.”
