Listen to a hero firefighter and his son, 17, recount the harrowing battle to save their house from a bushfire that’s destroyed 71 homes – and how they heroically returned to save lives
- Volunteer firefighter Scott Kelly lost his family home amid the Perth bushfires
- He and his son Matt stayed behind to battle the blaze but couldn’t save the home
- Their entire house has been destroyed as Matt begins his final year of school
- Mr Kelly returned to the scene just hours later to help rescue other families
- Fires in Perth’s hills region which began on Monday have destroyed 71 homes
A father and son held back tears as they recalled the devastating moment they lost their house to wild bushfires.
But Scott Kelly and his son Matt, 17, still summoned the will to heroically return to rescue other families desperately fleeing the inferno.
More than 70 houses in the hills region in Perth‘s north east were destroyed by fires that ignited on Monday, including the home Mr Kelly shared with his wife, son, and daughter.
Father and son stayed on Monday afternoon to fight the blaze but by 4.30pm the fire was too fierce and they were forced say goodbye to their beloved home.
Remarkably, Mr Kelly, a volunteer firefighter, was back at the scene just hours later at 4am on Tuesday to help rescue other families whose homes had also been caught in the fires.
Firefighters are seen battling a blaze in Brigadoon in Perth. So far 71 homes have been destroyed in Perth’s east
Department Of Fire and Emergency Services fire fighters battle a bushfire in Brigadoon. No lives have been lost in the fires
‘It was pretty evident that this was not just your regular bushfire,’ Mr Kelly told Sunrise.
‘We made the decision to leave and it was just in the nick of time.’
Speaking earlier to the morning TV show, Matt said he was due to start his final year of school just one day before he lost his house.
‘I’ve got one year left of school and now I don’t have a house anymore,’ he said.
Thankfully for the Kelly family, Matt’s girlfriend’s parents took them in until they could get back on their feet.
Matt and his sister were able to grab their school laptops at the last minute but lost their uniforms and other supplies.
Scott Kelly and his son Matt stayed back at their home to try and save it from the fires but the house was unable to be saved
Flames surround a property in Upper Swan in Perth on Tuesday. The fires started in Wooroloo on Monday
‘The school’s been in contact with us through Facebook and some of our teachers have personally gone out of their way to source me and my sister uniforms and anything we could have needed to get straight back into school,’ he said.
‘They’ve been nothing but helpful.’
By Wednesday morning 71 homes had been destroyed in the fire that started in Wooroloo on Monday.
Hundreds were forced to spend the night in evacuation centres while as many as 200 firefighters battled the blazes.
No lives are believed to have been lost but fire crews are expecting conditions to worsen today with temperatures to soar to 35C and winds reaching up to 70km/h.
Close to 10,000 hectares have been scorched in the fires already and six firefighters were injured while working through Tuesday night.
The cause of the bushfires is unknown.
Fire crews control bush fires as they approach properties on Copley Road in Upper Swan
Hundreds were forced to spend the night in evacuation centres while as many as 200 firefighters battled the blazes (pictured in Brigadoon)
Close to 10,000 hectares have been scorched in the fires already and six firefighters were injured while working through Tuesday night. Pictured: Brigadoon