A charred shell is all that remains of Lobethal man Daniel Kelly's prized heritage bus after the deadly Adelaide Hills bushfires destroyed most of his seven-acre property.
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But the automobile collector counts himself lucky to have escaped the inferno unharmed.
The house he shares with partner Marianne Fowler also survived, though surrounding burnt ground shows how close they came to losing everything.
The couple was at home when they heard sirens and smelt smoke on Friday morning.
With their dog in tow, they evacuated to be with their daughters in Adelaide.
"It was hard... we didn't know what happened to the house, whether it was still there," Mr Kelly said.
"In the end, it was a miracle that it was."
A neighbour who came to check on the property on Saturday morning found the home standing but several vintage cars had been destroyed.
Also burnt out was the Coorong Express - a 1960s bus Mr Kelly intended to restore to use as a caravan.
Originally a school bus, it was at one point believed to be the only four-wheeled bus in South Australia.
"It's just material assets," Mr Kelly said, inspecting the ruin.
"It's not that important; there are things far more important than that."
He paid tribute to the firefighters on the ground during the emergency, including those who defended his home.
"I just take my hat off to them and thank them," he said.
Across the road, another Lobethal family spent the afternoon installing temporary fencing for their sheep and alpacas.
Trevor, who had evacuated to Walker Flat, returned to find his brand new house standing but a shed containing furniture and other belongings had been destroyed.
He said he was amazed at the way the community had come together during the crisis.
"It's just been fantastic to see," he said.
A tree falling on power lines is thought to have sparked the devastating bushfire in the Adelaide Hills, which has claimed the life of a person at Charleston.
As the blaze continued to burn out of control, damage assessment was underway, with 15 homes confirmed as destroyed so far along 28 other buildings and 16 cars.
Those numbers are expected to rise and there were significant stock and crop losses including vineyards.
Australian Associated Press
