A couple who once lived in the island are providing updates on the Australian bushfires, which have personally affected them.

Patricia Kelly, who is originally from Scotland but married a Manxman, Mike, who was originally from Crosby, has been sharing the horrors that many are enduring in Australia back to friends and family in the island via Facebook.

Having moved from the island in 2012 to Lakes Entrance, Victoria, the pair have managed to stay safely away from the fires but had to evacuate their home on January 4.

They stayed in a hotel that was 100 miles west of their home before going back on Monday.

At least 25 people have been killed as a result of the bushfires, which span across the eastern and southern coast. Around 1,500 homes have been destroyed.

Mrs Kelly told the Examiner that the nearest blaze to them was 20 kilometres (12 miles) away and they have suffered breathing problems due to the heavy clouds of smoke.

She has set up a fundraising page to help The Trustee for New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Brigades Donations Fund, with more than $250 raised.

In an early post she wrote: ’The sky here has been very busy today with helicopters buzzing backward and forward to fill their buckets in the lakes.

’They reckon that so far half a million hectares of land has been burned and altogether over 200 properties lost. One poor man lost his home and three businesses all in one go.’

The couple made sure their fridge and larder was well stocked as they had concerns that supplies would be dwindling in the supermarkets.

She described trees having fallen onto the roads and being glued into the molten tar, the aluminium on cars having been melted, towns having no power and the impact on wildlife.

Mrs Kelly added: ’Our whole country is on fire and is quickly turning into a dustbowl unable to support our wildlife.’

On Monday she reported that they had their first bit of rain in a long time.

’Rain! Glorious rain!’ she wrote. ’We awoke this morning to the terrific news that the strong winds that had been driving the fires toward Lakes Entrance had died and changed direction again.

’Lakes was no longer directly in the path, the highway was open and it was safe to go home. So we had breakfast and set off.

’We got to Bairnsdale to find the roads wet, and light rain. We didn’t quite get out of the car and dance in the rain, but we were close to it.’

Her latest update said the fires are no longer threatening her home area, ’but that could change in a heartbeat if the wind changes’, she said.

You can find her fundraising page on Facebook by searching: ’Raising Money For a Cause I Care About’.