Liz Innes is used to feeling the heat of the council chambers, but this week felt the fury of a bushfire at her Runnyford property for the second time in a week.
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On Saturday, January 4, when the Eurobodalla Shire Mayor saw a blaze to the south-west and east, she crossed her fingers the wind was in her family's favour.
The thought of again confronting the blaze she first faced on New Year's Eve made her feel sick.
"I thought we were OK and had been through the worst," she told Australian Community Media on Saturday morning.
The New Year's Eve fire went through at 3am and took out a shed, but the property survived.
"My little 11-year-old daughter ... she hosed down the walls and fought the fire like a bloody trooper," she said.
The family's pasture and much-loved horses and livestock were saved.
My heart breaks for them. But no one deserves to be abused in that way. We are all trying our very best.
- Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Liz Innes, on why she apologised to the Prime Minister
The farm got through the Saturday fire too.
"I'm so proud of everyone," she said.
"My family's lucky; we're all still here."
Cr Innes said the fire's speed and fury shocked many.
"Everyone's been through it, been through it together," she said. "It's not about me."
Evacuees were doing their "absolute best" at the Hanging Rock evacuation centre and all anyone could do was get through one day at a time.
Bunnings gave her items for evacuees, including generators, power cords, torches, barbecues, fuel containers, charging stations and fans.
She said people were doing it tough, and that's what mattered.
"I couldn't give a flying fig about politics right now," she said.
However, she felt some heat for her apology to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison after Cobargo residents told him he was "not welcome" on January 3.
"I copped a bit of flack," she said, of her televised apology.
"I'm not berating those people. I absolutely understand why they reacted the way they did.
"My heart breaks for them. But no one deserves to be abused in that way. We are all trying our very best.
"I too have strong words to give to a lot of people.
"I understand, I really do. If I offended those people, I am sorry. My heart is breaking for them."
She said the Prime Minister probably had good intentions and she did not want the incident to be the image of her "area".
"I'm distressed that's the image that has been put out from my part of the world," Cr Innes said.
"The stories I want to go out to the world are of my beautiful community and the people who have stepped up.
"I mean no disrespect. I know why they reacted that way. (But) I don't want to see people being abused."
She had a long list of issues she wanted addressed by the federal and state governments, however said "now is not the time" to list them.
The road to recovery for the Eurobodalla Shire would be long and devastating.
Even putting down animals would be a big and difficult job.
Cr Innes met a young girl who was caring for a feathertail glider pygmy possum, but other animals were not so lucky.
"It's going to be horrific," she said.
She said the Eurobodalla Shire community was doing the right thing.
"I've spent the last two days at the (Hanging Rock) evacuation centre; I know most people are doing the right thing and heeding warnings," she said.
"What we faced the other day (New Year's Eve) was enough to shake people out of complacency."
