NOEL McLeod's newsagent laughed when he bought a Powerball ticket the morning after the North Rothbury fire damaged a neighbouring house and embers rained down on his property.
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"He said 'You're wasting your time coming in here, you've already had all the luck you're going to have for today'," Mr McLeod said.
"But it was more than luck. Everything is fine, everyone is safe. We're all good."
Mr McLeod was one of several residents counting their blessings on Wednesday, after Tuesday's fire burned one hectare of bushland on Wine Country Drive mere metres from homes.
A pair of properties believed to be vacant and on the left hand side of Mr McLeod's house were damaged. His was one of the next in line.
"I was watching television and the light coming through the window was going bright and then dark," he said.
"I heard something on the roof and thought it was rain, but it was embers."
Mr McLeod pulled on a long sleeved shirt and ran outside. He said the flames were more than 100 feet high.
"The fire got here so quick it was unbelievable," he said.
"It was terrifying - a wall of flames and smoke.
"There's no way I can describe it, it was unrealistic."
Mr McLeod picked up his hose and started spraying his garlic plants and fence.
"I couldn't tell you if it was ten minutes or two hours," he said.
"You're all in overdrive and the panic takes over a little bit.
"You sum it up and when you realise what you have to do the adrenaline takes over."
Mr McLeod had only returned home from his van at Manning Point on Monday.
He had intended to spend a few days there, but was stuck for a fortnight as fires tore through the mid north-coast.
Across the road, Jo McLaren had only been home for about three minutes after leaving work early when she, her husband Luke and children Matilda and Riley decided to leave their home of 11 months.
"I saw the flames out the lounge room window [in the trees on the opposite side of Wine Country Drive]," she said. "There was no smoke, no warning, I just happened to see the flames.
"My husband had the car packed and we left.
"I just thought 'We've got to get out. Where's the kids, where's the dog, get in the car, that's it'.
"We saw flames coming out from under the piers of the [vacant] house on the other side of the road when we drove away."
Matilda, worried about her hen and three baby chickens, managed to put two of the chicks in a cardboard box but had to leave it behind. Thankfully, they all survived.
They drove out towards Huntlee to stay at a friend's house.
"I thought 'Our house is going to burn down' but we kept telling the kids the firefighters were here and it was going to be alright.
"We deliberately left the gates unlocked and they were in our driveway spraying the roof. We were watching The Project from our friend's house and could see the house was still standing."
Mrs McLaren said the firefighters also appeared to have extinguished spot fires near their fence and around the property.
"They were here so quick and they did so well," she said.
"There's nothing wrong with the house. The septic hose has melted but we can fix that.
"We're just so thankful to the firefighters - we would not have a house if it wasn't for them. We're so grateful.
"Matilda wants to bake the fire brigade a cake and we're talking about taking them a big thank you card. How many times can you say thank you?"
Steve and Kylie Shannon fled their Olivia Place home with their three children. Mr Shannon had raced home after seeing the Whittingham fire alert level had been upgraded to watch and act.
"There was no smoke, no fire, no nothing," he said.
"We were just relaxing and then all of a sudden a neighbour across the road said, 'There's a tree right behind you going up'.
"I walked outside, there was ash raining down. I saw the power pole going up and all the black smoke pouring over the house. So we just jumped in the car and went."
One of their dogs wouldn't get into the car.
"I was hoping we'd come back to find him alive, which we did," he said. "He was hiding in the garage."
Mr Shannon said some false reports of fires earlier meant crews were in the area and could respond quickly.
"For everyone, when they say catastrophic, it really is catastrophic," Mrs Shannon said.
"It really happened that quick. Within five minutes, the power pole's alight and we're rushing to get out of our home."
Meanwhile, Greta residents were again fearing the worst on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Harper Street homes on the edge of town came under threat.
The fire that tore across paddocks on Tuesday flared up at midday on Wednesday and the alert level was raised to watch and act.
It was later downgraded. Resident Leeanne Whybrow had just finished unpacking bags after fleeing on Tuesday.
"We're getting ready to do it all again," she said, surveying the land scorched on Tuesday and the billowing smoke, as firefighting aircraft flew overhead.
"It's scary, really scary."
The Whybrows have been in Greta for seven years, but may relocate to Lochinvar.
She said it took just two minutes on Tuesday for the fire to travel from the end of her street to opposite her home.
Her family was leaving as police evacuated the street.
"Embers and ash was blowing everywhere," she said.
"I've never been so terrified."
She said she had hugged and kissed firefighters "and told them they were angels in orange".