Day started quietly. Dave and I gave each other small gifts. We had lunch at home then mid-afternoon we went to Melanie's for tea. This was a BBQ and included prawns.

Christmas Day evening, we got home from being at daughters for tea and had been home a short time and the power went out. Rang that through to ETSA – electricity people (power often goes out here). Then went outside to put dogs out and noticed what looked like a small fire across the channel on the other side to where I live.

Dave is in the Country Fire Service and he said it looked like a fire to him too. While he was putting on boots etc to go off as he knew his pager would go off, I rang the CFS to report it and also told them the power had gone out 5 minutes before and I had reported to ETSA. While on phone Dave says come and look at this before you hang up with firies and so I looked out door and there was a LARGER fire on the same road to the north of the one I was reporting. So reported that as well.

The pager message that got sent out to the volunteer fire-fighters. Dave had already left to get to the fire station.

22:33:44  25-12-09  RESPOND GRASS FIRE, DENVER RD, HINDMARSH ISLAND,GRASS FIRE OR TRANSFORMER ALIGHT

So at 10.30 pm on Christmas Day Dave leaves and I watch the fires. The second one grew quite large and the CFS got it and the smaller second fire out around 11:45pm.

ETSA got the power restored at midnight, which was a surprise.  Dave got home at 1:30 am from the CFS fire station. They had to refill trucks with water and clean them and re-stow equipment used etc. in reddiness for the next callout.

Fire burnt about 10 hectares so quite big. Was a power line down and had started 2 fires. That was our Christmas Day

In daylight on 26th December I went around to Denver Road to see the damage.

Small fire

Underneath the stobie (power) pole

Large fire aftermath

Large fire aftermath