A Maltese man and his family have been forced to evacuate their home in Australia because of the ongoing wildfires raging across New South Wales. 

James Vella Bardon, who is originally from Attard, had to flee his home on Monday night with his wife and two children.

“I’ve lived here since 2007 and I’ve never experienced anything like it,” he said.

Dr Vella Bardon lives in a suburb of northern Sydney called Davidson which borders Garigal National Park.

"A warning was issued on Monday evening saying that if you live within 100 metres of bushland you must evacuate," he said.

"We were a bit nervous in case the park or other surrounds went up in flames - and Turramurra where a fire was set off is quite close. We were in a high risk area and it was filled with smoke."

James Vella Bardon was evacuated from his home in New South Wales, Australia

Luckily his old house, which he is in the process of selling, is still vacant so he has been able to stay there until Saturday.

“Our old house is in a more urban area so we’ve been safe there. But we’ve been working from home and keeping the children with us. Their schools are located quite far apart so we’re worried that if there is a real emergency we won’t be able to get to them with traffic.” 

Fires set on purpose

Terrifying fires across New South Wales have left three people dead and destroyed more than 300 homes. 

“I’ve been told that the risk rating is the highest it’s been since the 90s," said Dr Vella Bardon.

"Temperatures are around 40 degrees. It’s a surreal experience and everyone is holding their breath to see if things die down.” 

Around 3,000 firefighters are on the ground battling around 150 blazes across New South Wales and Queensland. 

Dr Vella Bardon praised the hard work of the Australian government, as well as firefighters to keep him and his family safe. 

“The fires are brought under control very quickly and they have been using a pink flame retardant, which they drop from a plane and we find on our cars all the time now. Overall the situation has been really well managed. There is even an App called ‘Fire Near Me’ which beeps if a bushfire is coming to close to you. So you can sleep soundly and know it will wake you up if you are in danger.” 

Still not over 

Authorities in Australia say the worst is yet to come, with summer on its way and hot temperatures forecast to continue. 

But James, a lawyer by profession who is a best-selling author in Malta as well as a Risk and Compliance manager, says for now things are calmer where he is.

“Wednesday was cooler. We’ve had a Southerly wind blowing from the Antarctic which has been good. Unlike Malta, a wind from the South is a good thing here, but it took me a while to get used to that fact.”