Dr Jeffrey Lee survived the mega bushfire that swept through southeast NSW during New Year’s Eve. He has worked in the small town of Cobargo for more than three decades, but after his practice was destroyed he set up a makeshift surgery in his solar-powered caravan to continue tending to his traumatised patients.

“We live on an old dairy farm in Cobargo. It’s a small town, not much more than 700 people, with the nearest hospital about 45 minutes away in Bega. It is clear, quality grazing country — it’s not a bush block — so historically it’s not generally prone to bushfires.

The fires had originally started more than 50km away, but by 30 December my wife and I began to realise it was tracking directly for us through the national park with huge fuel loads and nothing to stop it. We evacuated at dusk, four hours before the official warning came, driving by car through the country roads to Bega where we hoped we would be safe.

The grass fires came quickly, destroying buildings, hay sheds and fencing. It was a firestorm. The really destructive part was the secondary effects in the following hours. These were the ember attacks from trees, which were still burning in the national park, causing spot fires everywhere like incendiary bombs. That’s what took most buildings.