New Years Day, Merimbula 2006 was one of those days where everyone and everything was looking for shade! It was hot, forty odd degrees, with a hot north westerly wind. The sort of day you may hear a comment in passing about how 'this is fire weather!'.
Unfortunently there as an accident. At campsite at Short Point Caravan Park, a powerboard was overloaded creating a spark. On any other day the spark would have caused nothing but minor damage, but with the wind so strong and the day so hot the fire quickly burnt across teh grass into the coastal scrub.
The fire burnt quicky along the steep shorline along Middle Beach, burning all in it's path! Before continuing out along Long Point.
No property or possesions had been burnt to this stage because of the natural fire break of the road and parklands in the adjoing area.
About 4:00pm a strong southerly change came through swinging the direction of the flames almost one hundred and eighty degrees and back towards some houses on Cliff St. If it weren't for the volunteer and town fire brigades from Merimbula and surrounding districts, the minor damage that occured to two houses would have been much worse!
With careful observation the fire kept burning out and along Long Point for the next few days, though not as ferociously as on New Years Day!
