Fire destroys Kimberley campsite, 4WD vehicles and equipment
Three men, aged in their 70s, had set up camp at Uralla-Snake Creek, near Camballin, 2,400 kilometres north of Perth, in the Kimberley region last Thursday.
The group was exploring the Fitzroy River for just two hours on Saturday when they returned to their creek-side campsite to find an apocalyptic scene.
"We could see the smoke … black smoke, so we knew it was a vehicle. It was devastating," vehicle owner Gary Case said.
Mr Case and his "best mates" have spent months on the road, camping and prospecting, since leaving northern New South Wales earlier this year.
The 75-year-old said he visited family in Broome and the group were spending a long weekend at the idyllic freshwater creek system near Camballin when the disaster struck.
Mr Case said there was no obvious cause of the fire since they had taken precautions with a small generator and ensured the campfire was cold before they headed off.
"It could have been an electrical fault somewhere else in one of the trucks or something shorted out in a 12 volt," he said.
"We just don't know.
The fire left the experienced campers with just the clothes they were wearing and their phones.
"I'm so relieved I had my dog with me. Losing her would have been worse than the troopy," Mr Case said.
Mr Case, who lives in Carool, NSW, said the trio were taking the disaster in their stride because each of them had faced major health scares and personal losses in the past.
"My mate's had open heart surgery. I've had issues — they said I actually died on the operating table, but I came back," he said.
Without insurance and no way of getting home, online fundraisers have been set up to help the men.
"I'm a bit embarrassed [by the donations] — I'm not that sort of person," Mr Case said.
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