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The koala named “Tinny Arse” that was rescued by Damian Campbell-Davys from a bushfire zone sits in his water tanker.Credit:Kate Geraghty

"After the horrors of yesterday,it just made my day,"he told The Sydney MorningHeraldand The Age,as he waited for the next fire truck to fill from his 10,000-litre tanker.

"A little ray of sunshine in this nightmare."

A wildlife carer was on their way to pick the animal up,which will be taken away from the danger zone.

Mr Campbell-Davys dubbed the koala"Tinny Arse"after a friend Liz"who always wins at the races",he said.

"This one was also a winner – fires were burning around him on both sides."

'Tinny arse'the koala was later taken away from the danger zone. — 'Tinny arse' the koala was later taken away from the danger zone.Credit:Kate Geraghty

"It might be better to relocate him to somewhere where there’s no fire."

Mr Campbell-Davys had a close call of his own,with fires trapping him at his house until early Sunday morning.

Many homes were burned in the Southern Highlands overnight after the Currowan Firejumped the Shoalhaven River.

All up,the fire,including different sections such as the Charleys Forest blaze,has scorched some 500,000 hectares.

"The koala population has been decimated,"Mr Campbell-Davys said.

"Kangaroos can hop away,but koalas can’t escape,"he said.

Radiant heat from below can kill the animals even if the flames don’t scale far up the trunk,he added.

Australia’s wildlife has been hammered by this season’s bushfires,with the area burnt in NSW alone approaching 4 million hectares.

That damage will likely worsen with many fires still active and little sign of the significant rain needed to put them out.

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