Imagine being trapped as a raging inferno closes in, with no escape. This was the reality for David Rigby, a resident of Yarck, a small farming town in central Victoria, as he faced the devastating Longwood bushfire. The ground around Yarck is still smoldering, a stark reminder of the fire's fury, with gumtrees flickering with flames and white ash whipping through the air. Across the region, homes have been reduced to twisted metal, with brick chimneys often the only remnants. But Rigby's property tells a different story: his house is still standing, his garden almost untouched.
Rigby recalls the day the fire hit, "I was preparing to leave at 10 am yesterday," he says. "I went down the street to talk to my neighbours, they had just gone to leave, but by that time, you just couldn’t get out. All the roads were cut." With roads blocked, Rigby and his neighbors were forced to stay and defend their properties. They were prepared with bore water and a generator, rigged up sprinklers, and hosed down their homes. Many houses were saved, but the stress was immense. "The wind was just howling through here. You couldn’t see because of the smoke. The trees were just bent over.”
The local Country Fire Authority (CFA) members, who had been an hour north in Longwood where the fire started, were forced to retreat and defend their own homes. Rigby points to the nearby hills, showing where neighbors’ houses were destroyed. The dairy farm on the ridge, the woman with a small shack, and his back neighbor all lost everything. "We were pinched in the middle of it," he says. "You could just see flames from the ridge line, all through down here. It was calm, calm, calm, and then just hectic.”
As the bushfires continue to burn across Victoria, the residents who evacuated are eager to return home, but authorities must first ensure it's safe. The damage is extensive, with at least 300 structures destroyed, including 80 homes, and 350,000 hectares burned. Tragically, one person died, their body found near Yarck Road at Gobur.
On social media, anxious residents seek information, asking about the safety of their homes and the well-being of their livestock. Kathy Munslow, who runs an animal shelter, returned to find many animals injured and hungry. "The animals are standing in smoldering paddocks and the fence is still burning," Munslow says. Her house was saved by the CFA, but everything else is gone. She is desperately trying to find food for her surviving animals, having lost $3,000 worth of hay to the fire. With no power, running water, or phone reception, she is isolated and struggling.
Down the road, the pub is the only place open. Chris Charman is keeping it running while his friend, the proprietor, tries to save his own property. Charman's own house was destroyed, but he is more concerned about his friends who have lost livestock and livelihoods. "So many houses, and so many farms are gone," Charman says. "No one actually knows how bad it is. So many livestock are dead.”
On the surrounding farms, the devastation continues, with burning hay and dead animals littering the roads. At a community meeting, Deputy Incident Controller Greg Murphy informed residents that they are working to get people back to their properties safely. Some areas are still on fire, with the Longwood blaze spreading across 136,000 hectares. Murphy emphasizes the importance of safety and patience, adding, "We’re not out of the woods yet.”
In a sign of the dire situation, gun shops have begun donating ammunition to farmers to euthanize livestock. Shane Curley, who helped farmers after the 2019-20 fires, is preparing to do the same again. "There will be thousands of cattle and sheep that are burnt that… this will be very hard," he says, tears welling up.
State Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland and her family have evacuated their farm and are unable to check on their stock. She fears they may have lost 1,000 sheep. She stresses the importance of getting back to care for the animals, saying, "That is our job as farmers. There is this deep innate sense of protection to get back there to make sure they’ve got food and water, because we will not let them starve like that, that’s just torturous.” She is leading a drive to get animal feed to those in need. "Everyone here has been impacted by this tragedy. It’s no one, no one will be unscathed,” she says.
But here's where it gets controversial... The decision to allow people back into affected areas is a delicate balance between safety and the urgency to return home. What measures should be prioritized? What support systems should be put in place to help residents and farmers cope with the aftermath? And this is the part most people miss... The emotional toll on the community is immense, and the long-term recovery will require sustained support and resources.
What do you think? How can communities best support each other in the face of such devastating events? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
