Parts of Australia are facing evacuations due to uncontrollable bush fires, but one father-daughter team stayed behind to fight.
The small community of Goongerah, Victoria, was under emergency evacuation on Dec. 30 as fires approached.
Unbelievable GoPro footage has emerged of India MacDonell bravely fighting the fire that surrounded her house, dodging embers and spraying water across the flames.
The 19-year-old shared the footage on her Facebook page, simply writing: “Goongerah went up in flames last night.”
All that can be seen in the video are various parts of her family’s property on fire. The air around her is choked with hazy smoke, tinged orange by the flames.
In the footage, she maneuvers around the property, using fire hoses to cool down the ground in an effort to prevent the flames from spreading.
She protected her home alongside her father, Shaun MacDonell, who she said in a later Facebook post saved the same house from a fire five years ago — all by himself.
“We had fire hoses, multiples! We had all the gear we needed on to protect ourselves from the embers and flames,” she wrote on Jan. 1.
“I didn’t get harmed by the fires. I was not burnt.”
Luckily, this is a moment that she and her father were prepared for.
“I am 19, never had any experience with fighting fires but my dad has,” India told Storyful.
“He showed me a bit before the fires hit, so I felt calm knowing he was confident we had fire hoses, gear and plenty of water.”
The duo successfully protected their home long enough for the fire to pass, and had access to a bunker with food, water and first-aid supplies if needed.
“It was hard and dangerous, but we had a safe fire bunker if we needed to retreat,” she added, noting that the footage should not encourage other people to tackle bush fires on their own.
Local media reports say that 45 fires continue to burn across Victoria. Around 17 people remain unaccounted for.
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