AFTER more than three weeks and destroying more than 210,000 hectares, the devastating Kangaroo Island bushfire has officially been contained.
The announcement comes weeks after Kalangadoo Country Fire Service captain Mariska Hawke returned from the island after spending two days on the ground.
Ms Hawke and her husband Gary Thomas travelled with 16 volunteer firefighters from around the region.
The senior firefighter, who has been a CFS member for four years, spent two days on the ground mere hours before the blaze took off.
“The fire was not too bad where I was, but it was still pretty scary seeing the fire on this scale,” Ms Hawke said.
“We do not usually see it to this extreme here and I personally have not been to anything on that scale even though I spent some time over in New South Wales as well.”
Ms Hawke said the experience was overwhelming, adding one of the most difficult aspects was being separated from her husband.
“His crew got stuck out on the fire ground and we also had friends on the island who were staying and defending their property,” she said.
“Not knowing whether they were safe or not was difficult.”
Ms Hawke said her husband faced challenges coming to terms with the widespread damage, which destroyed more than 60 homes and hundreds of other buildings.
“My husband was on the northern end of the island where there were a lot of stock lost and properties lost which was very hard on him,” she said.
“On the football oval where everyone was taking shelter, we saw all of the families that lost everything which was hard to see that sort of damage.”
Following the blaze, Ms Hawke urged anyone planning to defend their properties in a bushfire to prepare adequately.
“This includes clearing up anything around their homes, but it also means those who are not prepared need to leave as early as possible,” she said.
“The fire over at Kangaroo Island was not that scary, but seeing the effect on the community was.
“I do not think any amount of training could prepare for that.”
