Adrian Muhlsimmer was in Taralga on Thursday morning when he noticed the RFS trucks rushing from the town.
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He quickly jumped into his vehicle with his wife and headed home to their Craigs Road property, about 20km north of Taralga.
"We came down our driveway and could see the fire just over the hill. I ran down and got all of my electrical pumps out but then the lines went down and we didn't have power," he said.
The Curraweela fire, about 20km north of the town had burnt through 2148 hectares and was moving quickly into heavily timbered country east of the Craigs Road/Oberon Road intersection by 7pm.
By 8.30pm it had destroyed 2490 hectares and remained at emergency level.
It started about 500 metres from Mr Muhlsimmer's home, burnt east and then west, fanned by erratic winds.
The family packed their bags and were prepared to leave via a rear access if needed.
At 5.30pm Thursday, Mr Muhlsimmer said choppers and water bombing aircraft were swirling overhead.
"It's catastrophically hot and windy and the RFS is doing a sensational job trying to control it on the worst possible day," he said.
"I'm looking northeast to the corner of Craigs Road and Oberon Road intersection and it is well and truly burning. It is intensifying in certain spots."
Wind was gusting at more than 50km/h.
The family has owned the 43 hectare property for eight years but only moved from Sydney 12 months ago. Their new kit home is almost complete and they have animals on the holding.
Mr Muhlsimmer said, being surrounded by bush, they were naturally worried when the fire broke out but it burnt away from the home. With roads blocked, he didn't venture far but later went for a drive and saw that a house had been destroyed on the Oberon Road, just north of Craigs Road.
A hay shed was also lost.
While some of his neighbours are 'weekenders,' most are permanent residents.
Meantime, on Thursday afternoon, Tammi Balfour helped a friend move stock from a Taralga Road, Curraweela property.
"We had to cut fences to get the stock out of the fire and found sheep in a burning yard. We just kept cutting fences onto neighbours' blocks as the fire was moving so fast," she said.
The Taralga showground has been set up as an evacuation centre for people with animals. Local Land Services staff are assisting. Crookwell Services Club is also an evacuation centre and for anyone displaced, accommodation will be sourced.
Also in Taralga, Tarlo bushfire volunteers set up at the fire shed in Orchard Street, cooking for fire fighters on the ground.
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