As a raging fire converged on the Snowy Valleys town of Batlow, described by firefighters as "not defendable", the local pub remained open.
Residents were urged to evacuate Batlow earlier in the week before the Dunns Road fire threatening the town was upgraded to emergency level. The estimated 50 people who stayed behind to defend their homes were warned it was now too late to leave.
The Rural Fire Service was telling people in Batlow and surrounding areas to "seek shelter in a solid structure to protect yourself from the heat of the fire".
Riverina zone operational officer Bradley Stewart said there were unconfirmed reports of property damage at a number of locations, but predominantly at Batlow and Talbingo.
Shortly before 6pm on Saturday, Batlow Hotel owner Matthew Rudd said the town famous for its apples was full of smoke and he had seen firefighters tackling spot fires that had broken out "in various places in town".
"I've just come back inside. I've got a few hoses around the pub so I've been wetting everything down," he said.
"The wife and everyone left. They went to Tumut and now to Wagga, but I've still got one customer - a local guy."
Mr Rudd said he would keep the pub open into Saturday night if anyone wanted to come in.
"I'll give them a free beer," he laughed.
Mr Rudd praised the efforts of firefighters.
"From what I've heard on the radios, they're really doing their best, but they just can't be everywhere."
Batlow was one of several areas threatened by the Dunns Road and East Ournie Creek fires, for which an emergency warning was in place on Saturday.
Residents in Batlow, Ellerslie, Adelong, Mundaroo, Ournie, Mannus, Wondalga, Kunama, Talbingo, Rosewood and Tumbarumba were all warned it was now too late to leave. People in the larger regional centre of Tumut were urged to monitor conditions.
In Adelong, minutes after residents were told it was too late to leave, Bob Broadhurst stood, drinking a beer, outside his smash repair business.
The town of about 1000 people was deserted with the exception of firefighters and a few residents who had stayed behind.
"Do you guys want one?" Mr Broadhurst asked, holding up his beer as The Canberra Times approached him.
His calm demeanour was the result of his time with the Rural Fire Service when he lived in Batlow.
"Panic is a thing that causes a lot of problems in fires," Mr Broadhurst said.
He intended to stay in Adelong, confident fires wouldn't reach his business if they did enter the town.
He was wetting down the grass outside the business and also had extinguishers inside.
"It's not as bad here. Down Batlow way, it's pretty crook," Mr Broadhurst said.
In a gravel area opposite her property in Adelong, local woman Beatrice Markham waited with Mick Nichols and 13-year-old Cooper Nichols on Saturday afternoon to see whether nearby fires would enter the town.
On the other side of the gravel was another property belonging to Mr Nichols.
"We were going to stay and fight, but I don't know. I'm on the fence a bit now," Mr Nichols said.
Ms Markham said she had been in the area 40 years and the fire conditions on Saturday were "a bit unprecedented with the number of fires and the ferocity".
She said most of her neighbours had evacuated.
"A few of them tried to convince me [to go], but I've got my plan," Ms Markham said.
