‘A damn lot of luck’: How three Victorian towns were spared by unstoppable fires Submitted by daniel on Fri, 16/01/2026 - 18:00 Picture Image “You wake up and are you right for about two minutes, and then that overwhelming anxiety comes into your body and you’re just sick. Sick to your stomach.” David Sudholz, Natimuk CFA captain and Michael’s brother, rushed out to fight the fire when it was spotted at 12.43pm, and was astounded by its speed. “One minute [there] was nothing, and next minute we’re in the smoke, and then there was fires everywhere around us, like all the grass was suddenly catching fire,” he said. Read more about ‘A damn lot of luck’: How three Victorian towns were spared by unstoppable firesAdd new comment
Victoria bushfires LIVE: Longwood fire destroys homes in Ruffy; warnings for towns including Alexandra, Yea and Skipton; widespread power outages amid heatwave temperatures Submitted by daniel on Thu, 08/01/2026 - 19:56 Picture Image At 5pm, authorities issued evacuation warnings for Kinglake and Marysville, heavily forested towns to Alexandra’s south – not far from Melbourne’s urban fringe. Both were decimated in the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. More than 100,000 properties are out of power across the state, with the disruptions forcing the closure of businesses and community facilities across Melbourne. What initially started with power outages in the regional towns of Kyneton and Wallan has since expanded to include sections of Melbourne. Read more about Victoria bushfires LIVE: Longwood fire destroys homes in Ruffy; warnings for towns including Alexandra, Yea and Skipton; widespread power outages amid heatwave temperaturesAdd new comment