"We've never had anything like it before in my 12 years training here," Evans said of his training complex, 250 metres from the Tuncurry-Forster Jockey Club's headquarters.

"Literally, flames were leaping 100 feet high in the forest behind the stables.

"The stables were only 20 metres from the fire and I thought they were certain to go, but the 'firies' were marvellous and saved them."

Contributing to saving the Tuncurry race club's offices, stables and out-buildings and Evans' complex was the new irrigation system supplied by Racing NSW, the premises saturated by water from the large dam in the centre of the race track.

The fire moved so swiftly in the tinder-dry forest that there was no time to truck the 19 racehorses Evans has in work away from the stables, requiring him in the emergency to run the horses in the field enclosed by the race club's track fence.

"When the fire had passed on through, we mustered the horses and returned them to the stables. One had a small nick, but otherwise, they were good as gold," a mightily relieved Evans said.

The immense work performed by the fire service is so often take for granted, but not a building or stable at the race track was destroyed - or a racehorse lost.

His clients' racehorses being his priority, Evans spent almost as much time at the stables, sleeping in the hay rather than in his own bed at home at Rainbow Flat.

With half a million dollars' worth of horse flesh in his care, Evans rightly considered them precious.

A fortnight later, as if one major bushfire were not enough, a second fire broke out near the intersection of The Lakes Way and Pacific Highway where Evans has his homestead at Rainbow Flat, threatening his house and property and 11 spelling racehorses.

With the fire approaching, the horses were trucked out of danger and all of Evans' focus turned to saving his home.

"The fire on the Friday about the house was terrible," he said.

"The flames were so bad around the building, we thought the place was gone for sure.

"By a miracle, and the Forster-Tuncurry Fire Brigade again, of course, the place was spared."

Throughout the exhausting fortnight, Evans was aided heroically by his wife, Julie, and three staff members, Emma Jenkins, Sarah Hartwell and Claire Taja.

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But, now with the situation appearing to be returning to normal, Evans has resumed preparing his stable for Tuncurry's next meeting on December 9.

His old champion, Arise Augustus, is grazing contentedly in retirement these days, but if he runs, the most aptly named horse in his stable could be the three times winner, Scorching.

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