Twenty-five people are dead and more than 110 are missing. Thousands of homes and structures have been destroyed. Wildlife has been displaced (a heartbreaking picture of rabbits huddled against a wall after being driven from their burrows has gone global). 

As we head into summer, the CFA has warned that more than half of those who took part in its annual Bushfire Community Survey considered the bushfire risk “moderate, minor or non-existent”. A third indicated they would only leave when a fire threatened their area, rather than evacuating when extreme fire danger was evident.

CFA Acting Chief Officer Stephanie Rotarangi said Victorians who were underestimating the risk or who left it too late to leave were risking the safety of themselves and their families. “It’s important to get your head around what the real risk is to you and your friends and family, how to minimise it and what to do when there is a bushfire emergency,” she said.

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If there is any doubt about the danger, drive 20 minutes outside of Bendigo. The land is dry. The patches of green where irrigation has been used jars against the endless sea of brown.

There has been too little rain this winter and spring. Just as there was too little rain last year. The build-up of fire fuels in forests means a disaster is a spark away. And in major central Victoria population areas like Bendigo and Castlemaine, the bush grows close to town.

The advice? Clean-up. Move furniture, woodpiles and greenery away from the house, prune trees, keep the grass short. Leave early. Before you leave on a fire day remove the doormat (homes have been lost from embers landing on a doormat, the CFA  warned).

And remember, if you stay to defend your home, you need at least two fit adults, 10,000 litres of water, protective clothing, fire-fighting hoses and pumps. Most homes don’t have this. On a Code Red bushfire day, staying to defend your home could cost you your life.

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