Australian man survives wildfires by hiding in makeshift kiln: 'This was catastrophic'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As the Green Wattle Creek wildfire in Australia all but wiped out the village of Balmoral, one man survived the flames by hiding inside a makeshift kiln, according to a report Sunday.
Pottery artist Steve Harrison said he stayed there for 30 minutes as the "firestorm went over,” Sky News reported.
"I was terrified," he said, according to the news outlet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AUSTRALIAN PM APOLOGIZES FOR HAWAII VACATION AFTER TWO FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING MASSIVE WILDFIRES DIE
Harrison built the kiln on Saturday and hunkered inside with a fire blanket and extinguisher, Sky News reported. His wife had already evacuated their home in Balmoral, near Syndey.
In this image made from video taken and provided by NSW Rural Fire Service via their twitter account, a firefighter sprays water on a fire moving closer to a home in Blackheath, New South Wales state, Australia Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday apologized for taking a family vacation in Hawaii as deadly bushfires raged across several states, destroying homes and claiming the lives of two volunteer firefighters.(Twitter@NSWRFS via AP)
As the flames approached he turned on his sprinklers to try and save his house and then head to his vehicle but saw it was too late to drive off, according to Sky News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My garden was already on fire," he said, according to the news outlet. "And the driveway was on fire, and the road was on fire. So I realized I couldn't evacuate."
AUSTRALIA'S 'CATASTROPHIC' WILDFIRES CONTINUE AMID SOARING TEMPERATURES AS PM RUSHES HOME
He added: "The day before, I had actually built myself a small kiln down the back. And a coffin-sized kiln just big enough for me to crawl inside."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His potting shed and ceramic artworks burned to the ground, ABC Australia reported.
In this Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, photo, NSW Rural Fire Service crew fight the Gospers Mountain Fire as it impacts a property at Bilpin, New South Wales state, (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Images via AP)
"This was like a holocaust — this was catastrophic,” ABC Australia reported. “You can see when you look around, there is just nothing left."
Two firefighters have died battling the fires.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fizsimmons described Saturday as an "awful day" for firefighters as strong southerly winds fanned more than 100 fires in New South Wales alone.
The fast-moving fires scorched trees, cars, outbuildings and everything else in its path, leaving residents scrambling to find shelter.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dozens of homes have been lost since Thursday in massive wildfires, including the Gospers Mountain blaze, which covered more than 460,000 hectares (1.1 million acres).
Thirty firefighters from Canada and nine from the United States were among fresh crews set to join the battle against the fires on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.