Tired firefighters have returned to Albury after spending three long nights battling severe bushfires in northern NSW.
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The volunteers touched down on the Border on Thursday after flying out on Monday and heading straight to the fire front.
While he was only gone for a short stint, children Harry and Eliza Feuerherdt were happy to have their father Shai back safely.
The children, aged 12 and 5, greeted Mr Feuerherdt on the tarmac at Albury Airport with their mother Simone.
"It's really good to have him back," Simone said.
"We'll all sleep a lot better."
You had to have your eyes to the front and to the back of you.
- Firefighter Kimberley Shumack
Mr Feuerherdt was one of 13 volunteers to return on Thursday, with three officers still fighting fires in northern NSW and south east Queensland.
"We worked very hard up there," he said.
"It's very hard to describe.
"The terrain was very hard to work in but the team we had did very well.
"They saved about five houses that were under threat by fire and helped strengthen containment lines."
It was Finley resident Kimberley Shumack's first strike team deployment and kept her on her toes.
The volunteers worked at night, which has additional challenges to fighting fires during the day.
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"You had to have your eyes to the front and to the back of you," she said.
"Once those winds picked up it was really bad.
"We worked well as a team.
"I'd go out with the same strike team if I had the opportunity."
About 10 homes have been destroyed but the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Police believe multiple children lit the fires, which continue to burn.
Superintendent Pat Westwood said the firefighters had to deal with different terrain and fire behaviour to blazes in the Albury region.
The experience would help the volunteers with their skills to battle local fires.
"These crews are very tired," he said.
"They've been working very hard and it's quite trying to work in the dark.
"There's a lot more to be aware of - you can't see your whole environment, and many of the people that went on this deployment have never been to this area before."
"It is absolutely possible that we could get a fire like that in this area," he said.
"People of this Border community need to be aware that these fires do happen through summer.
"We expect that we'll find a fire on our doorstep this year and people need to be prepared."
A barbecue was held after the firefighters returned, followed by a debrief to discuss the deployment.