One man’s home, a farm shed and a nature retreat lodge have been burned down by an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria’s west.
Tony returned to his house this morning in Gerang Gerung on the outskirts of the Little Desert National Park to find it had been ravaged by last night’s fire.
“That’s everything I work for, that’s all gone,” he told 9News.
Dozens of his sheep were also killed.
“That’s the shed machinery in that, cars in that, all the cars there,” he said, gesturing at the wreckage.
“Swimming pool in the back, nothing left of that.
“And everything’s still on fire, everything’s still smouldering.”
As Tony tries to work out where he will sleep tonight, he says this never should have happened.
“They could have done more to prevent it,” he said.
“The Little Desert National Park is backed up against my property.
“It’s as simple as that, they should have fire breaks.
“All my fences are gone, everything is gone.”
The blaze was so fierce, residents in surrounding towns, including Dimboola, Wail and Pimpino, were forced to evacuate about 7pm yesterday.
The fire burned 63,000 hectares in just 10 hours.
About 200 people took refuge at a relief centre in Horsham.
One local, Carol, had to leave behind her two precious dogs and chickens.
“Mainly my dogs I was worried about,” she said.
“Yeah, we can go home today, hopefully, and I can feed them.”
Late this afternoon, residents could breathe a sigh of relief as they were allowed to return to their homes after the fire threat was downgraded to a watch and act alert.
Another farm shed had been destroyed along with the Little Desert Nature Lodge.
Camp director Moshe Kahn posted on social media confirming the news.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the complete destruction of the Little Desert Nature Lodge due to a fire,” the post said.
“We are relieved to confirm that all people and animals are safe.
“We are optimistic about rebuilding a future where nature, wildlife, and community continue to thrive together.”
Kahn confirmed a camp held at the lodge had departed a day early, along with staff and animals.
“We are deeply grateful to the Country Fire Authority for their rapid and courageous response in battling the blaze,” the post said.
“Their tireless efforts under challenging conditions ensured the safety of the surrounding area and minimised further risk.
“While the loss of the lodge is a significant blow, we are comforted by the knowledge that no lives were at risk. We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and planning the next steps forward.”
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“We need our own air fleet in Australia because these bushfires are getting bigger,” Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said.
While the threat of the Little Desert fire has subsided, firefighters are concerned the blaze in the southern and northern part of Grampians will join, which could take weeks to get under control.
“These fires will be in play for some time,” Chief Fire Officer of Forest Fire Management Victoria Chris Hardman said.
“The communities most at risk at this time include, the Wail community and the Halls Gap community again.”
