Flames
“‘Is this weird?’ I asked no one in particular, as we settled on the cliffside. Everyone laughed. No one bothered to answer properly.
Of course it was weird. We were sitting with take-away pizzas and beers, overlooking the valley. We'd done this many times before.
Across the canyon, angry red smoke billowed up the side of the plateau. Glowing red lines highlighted the side of the cliff and made strange patterns. That was the unfamiliar part. The main fire looked like a steam engine hurtling through the bush, smoke surrounding it and trailing behind. This steam engine was destroying with flames.
I was sort of used to bushfires by now, having lived in the Blue Mountains my whole life. We had been living with the threat for a while. I was even used to them this fire season, with two burning nearby for weeks. Monitoring the Fires Near Me app had become part of my daily routine. I had already left work early one day to help my parents prepare to evacuate their home. My partner’s parents had evacuated and then been able to return. But this one was closest to home.”