And on the Glenloth Road near Lake Marmal, that's exactly what happened.

When the page came through to Tyrell group officer and Wycheproof Fire Brigade captain Corey Harrison, he could never have imagined how his day was about to unfold.

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"I was called out in one of the field command vehicles with one of our tankers very close behind at about 11am on Saturday morning," he said.

"We were on the road out there and before you even got there, it looked like absolute mayhem.

"There was that much smoke in the air already and by the time we got on scene it was all a bit chaotic.

"We didn't who was where and who was doing what initially, it was all about just putting out as much as possibly until we got a structured plan in place."

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From a fire that started in a header, 80 hectares of unharvested crop had already gone up in flames by the time the road crews began to arrive on scene.

But thankfully, the two helicopters were the first on scene and not only provided water from the sky, but critical intel on how and where the fire was moving.

Tankers from around the state including Swan Hill, Bendigo, Boort, Donald and many more all chipped in to assist where they could.

The co-ordination of the 35 crews, helicopters and eventually the strike forces, D20 and Mid Murray, was also integral, a role taken on by Charlton CFA group officer Phil Ellis.

"It was a great example of all the training we do throughout the year coming into practice really," Mr Harrison said.

"Once we knew where we were needed, it was like a well-oiled machine.

"We were able to split up into smaller groups, each taking one direction and would move in turn to put out different parts of the fire.

"There were a few times when the front got a bit close to a shed and threatened three different houses, but thankfully we were able to get the choppers and tanks in the right spots to put them out before any big damage was done."

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Mr Harrison said the 220ha, 90km round blaze was one of the biggest events some of the crews had ever seen.

"From the perspective of the Wyche crew, we probably had something close to this size, but that was a good few years ago now, but Phil said this would have been the biggest for his team," he said.

"But no matter how big a job it was, everyone played their role and we got it out.

"We were probably out there until around 9pm when the relief crews came in to relieve us, so it was a big day."

Despite it being a 40 degree and windy day, Mr Harrison said it wasn't certain the outcome would have been different if it had been declared a Total Fire Ban.

"Unfortunately we out on the ground aren't able to make the decision," he said.

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"You can say it should have been, but regardless of whether you declare it or not, some farmers will still go out on the header and crop.

"Some people wondered why a cool and rainy day on Sunday was called, but it was windy and you never know when a fire could pop up."

He said he was proud of the crews who played their part that day.

"I can't thank all the guys and girls on the ground enough, they did an outstanding job," Mr Harrison said.

"They all did an outstanding job on a very terrible day."

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