Destructive Los Angeles-like fires possible for Australia's capital cities, report warns
Published 6th of January 2026
'It's worse than we thought'
Amy Blain, who is a member of the People's Climate Assembly and Bushfires Survivors for Climate Action, lived through the fires in Bermagui in New South Wales at the end of 2019.
She remembers opening the blinds at 7am in the morning and just looking out to pitch black. Coming from the UK it was her first experience of a bushfire.
"Friends were texting saying 'are you evacuating?' she said. "The filtration plant was damaged, the telcoms were damaged and we had a newborn at the time."
Ms Blain recounts driving back to Canberra where at times the smoke was so thick she could barely see the tail lights of the car in front.
They made it home safely but then had to deal with a "smoke-filled existence".
"It was a very, very stressful start to the year and we couldn't get air filters.
"All of our doors in the rental weren't particularly well insulated, the windows were terrible and it was just leaking smoke, so we had sheets that were wet and were regularly making those damp to try and keep the smoke out. It was a pretty horrendous experience."
Living in Canberra — where 487 houses were destroyed by fire and four people killed just over two decades ago — Ms Blain said many people were aware that major cities were not immune to major fires.
But she is concerned the city is still underprepared and wants more to be done to address the pollution that is contributing.
"What we've seen so far is horrendous. It's worse than we thought. We're seeing cities on fire in winter," she said
"Why would we be adding to that? We've been told no more. That should be an absolute."
Image provided by Amy Blain for ABC News