A veteran firefighter has described the extremely erratic conditions faced by his strike team at Conjola Park on New Year's Eve.
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Fire and Rescue NSW acting inspector John Moore, said four trucks were battling the blaze, which tore through the suburb on western side of the lake.
Initially the fire was exhibiting standard behaviour when the strike team arrived at Lakeside Dr, but it turned erratic quickly.
"The fire just increased in intensity. A pyrocumulus, the fire producing cloud, started to build and the fire developed up into the treetops.
"It just shows the intensity and the heat that is being drawn out of the fire and creating those thermal currents and drawing that smoke column thousands of metres into the air."
The crews continued to douse ignitions points amid direct from the firefront, embers, radiant heat causing houses to combust and ignition through garden beds and combustible materials.
"The randomness of the fire spread was something you don't see every bushfire season."