Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid a visit to Wingello Rural Fire Brigade on Friday afternoon.
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Captain Mark Wilson and his fellow firefighters met with the Prime Minister for about an hour at the station.
"It was definitely a last minute thing," Mr Wilson said.
"He mentioned me in his Australia Day speech. He came down to give me a copy of the speech and to thank everyone in Wingello.
"We all might not agree with his politics but he's a damn nice guy."
While no media was present, Mr Morrison documented the visit on his official Facebook page.
"On Australia Day I told the story of how the Wingello Rural Fire Brigade saved the town the night fire swept through Wingello in early January," he said on Facebook.
"It was my honour to catch up with Captain Mark Wilson and all his crew and say thanks in person.
"Fourteen houses were lost in Wingello that night - painful for a small town, excruciating for the families - but 80 homes were saved.
"The General Store was saved as well. And now after the rains the recovery is underway."
Mr Wilson said there was "a lot of recovery work" to do after the fires and residents should "watch out for trees".
"We're getting a lot of trees falling down with the rain," he said.
"Council has taken over the clean up."
Mr Wilson said despite the rain, summer was "not quite over yet".
"Even though we've had all this rain, it can dry out pretty quickly," he said.