Residents have been confronted with the devastation brought by Victoria’s catastrophic bushfires but danger remains with another statewide ban declared.
Fire-fighters battled multiple fronts on Saturday that have have so far torn through at least 115 structures and well over 300,000 hectares of bush and farmland.
A state of emergency was declared for 20 local government areas.
Several emergency level blazes were dotted across the state but fire-fighting efforts were concentrated on a huge blaze in Victoria’s centre and another in the northeast, near the NSW border.
A blaze that ripped through Harcourt, northeast of Castlemaine in the Central Highlands, claimed at least 50 structures, including homes and businesses.
Bonnie and Remy Sowman were speechless as they looked upon the blackened ruins of their cafe, which held a special place in the Harcourt community.
The couple made the decision to pack their bags and leave both their home and business on Friday when the conditions began to change.
She described the day as a blur.
“We had a friend who posted some footage and it was bad along where we live. Most of the night we thought our house was gone,” she told AAP.
They received news on Friday night that their home was safe but the situation was very different for their business.
“We’re just grateful that we got out, everybody’s safe,” she said.
“We live in a beautiful community where everyone will pitch in and help and we’ve been completely inundated with beautiful offers from people.”
The danger is not over despite the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting milder weather on Sunday, with winds easing but changing direction.
“So that means people on the northern side of these fire zones could be in threat tomorrow,” senior meteorologist at the bureau Dean Narramore told ABC TV.
“And unfortunately there is really no rain on the way for at least the next five to seven days.”
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said conditions had eased but there was a long way to go before fires were brought under control.
“Understand how the increased fire risk will impact you and ensure your fire plan covers all possible contingencies,” he said.
Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national newswire and has been delivering accurate, reliable and fast news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We keep Australia informed.
