Mark Highman watched bushfires turn the sky a shade of apocalyptic dark orange, all with a cold beer in his hand and his dog Red by his side.
"I found the pub was open so I brought the dog in and had a beer," he said.
"I'm trying to find out what's going on to see if it's safe to go home tonight."
Mark Highman lives at Kianga, north of Narooma, on the NSW South Coast.
He left his property when he saw extreme fire conditions forecast amid so many dangerous blazes already burning in the region.
"I've been listening to the radio and it seems to be full on," he said.
"I was getting a bit worried, so I switched it off, came into town and thought I'd get some [information] straight from the horse's mouth.
"I prepared my home as much as I could, I've done what I can, it's not worth dying," he said.
The town of Narooma was lucky during Saturday's extreme conditions.
It only experienced blackouts and heavy smoke which turned the sky orange.
The settlement was bracing for the worst and many locals stayed behind to fight ember attacks alongside the Rural Fire Service.
Those in town spent the day keeping their minds off the bushfires burning to the north, south and west.
Drinking, fishing, playing cards and talking to each other were all on the agenda.
"It's so good meeting new people, listening to a lot of crazy stories," said Mark Westwood.
He's sitting in the middle of the Narooma golf course, trying not to think about the home he left behind in North Narooma.
Areas like the golf course are packed with those evacuating, because they're free of trees which can light up in an ember attack.
People, caravans, dogs and swags are everywhere — so too are buckets of water which can be used to put out spot fires if the need arises.
Closer to the waterfront, local children run around and play.
Exhausted parents keep one eye on them and one eye on the orange sky, scanning for impending fire.
Local resident Peggy Bell spent the evening on a boat on the Narooma foreshore, which was opened up as a 'semi-evacuation' centre by its owners.
"My daughter is busy fixing her house up at the edge of town," Bell explains, "So she thought it would be a good idea if I came over here because I don't walk very well.
"It's very good, very nice of the folk to open their door.
"[Narooma] is a lovely place normally and it will be again."
