'Closed due to bushfire': as blazes smoulder, a NSW town is in suspended animation

For the townsfolk of Braidwood the worst of the fires may have passed – but the danger of more remains

‘In the weeks before Christmas, the main street of Braidwood is quiet. Summer is ordinarily peak tourist season, with families from Canberra stopping in on the way to Bateman’s Bay, but the recent bushfires, which still burn nearby, have put an end to travel to and from the coast.

Many businesses are simply closed, with handwritten signs taped to the windows— “closed today due to bushfire conditions” – as shopkeepers head out with the RFS or stay in their own homes to defend them if the fire front shifts. Hot, dry winds scatter ash and powdery topsoil over town, forcing locals inside, and the pub, when it’s open, is full of exhausted RFS volunteers, instantly visible in their bright yellow and soot-smeared faces.

The worst days of the fire have passed but there is a lingering feeling of suspended animation in town, with nobody able to predict when the danger will pass.’

Short interviews with Braidwood residents for The Guardian, here.