Frederick the possum is grateful - or should be.
When the Bungendore brigade of the Rural Fire Service were fighting a three-storey high blaze near Nerriga on the South Coast, they spotted the possum trying to cross a road with all exits blocked by flames.
Callie Bolithon and her husband, Rob, jumped out of their fire truck and grabbed the animal.
"We saw the poor little guy. There was a fire on one side of the road and a fire on the other side of the road so he couldn't cross. He was trying to get to safety." she said.
"So we jumped out of the truck. He was quite happy to come with us."
Mr Bolithon said, "I caught it. It would have fried."
They took the tiny creature home and gave it copious amounts of water which it gulped down.
"We made sure he was hydrated. He didn't have a home to go," said Mrs Bolithon.
Their son, Sam, called the possum Frederick.
"It's a suitable name for a possum," said Sam's mother.
The possum was being taken to a wildlife refuge.
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