Ken Norris spent Thursday night watching his Longwood East property burn, but says he feels incredibly fortunate. He and his wife Sharon evacuated to the Mornington Peninsula with their four dogs and two goats after a ‘wall of fire’ swept through their land.
The 65-year-old says the fire destroyed nearly all their infrastructure, including outbuildings, an orchard and a small vineyard, but their house survived. ‘We were very, very lucky,’ he said.
The Longwood bushfire in central Victoria continued to burn out of control on Friday, destroying property in nearby Ruffy, about 175km north of Melbourne. Norris first saw the fire crest the hill at 2pm on Thursday. After wetting down the house and surrounding grass, he and his wife stayed inside, watching as buildings burned around them.
A dry thunderstorm with 60-70km/h winds later brought an intense ember attack. Norris said the partially built two-storey house had an underground floor for shelter. The next morning, two young men with chainsaws cleared fallen trees that had trapped them, after Norris's daughter appealed on social media for help.
There were 58 fires across Victoria on Friday amid a severe heatwave. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch described the fire potential as ‘catastrophic’ in parts of the state, the first such warning since the 2019-20 Black Summer. By Friday night, a cool change was moving east, easing conditions in western and central areas.
Norris described the experience as ‘harrowing’ but stressed his gratitude. ‘We’ve still got a house. We’re all healthy. We’ve still got our lives. Our four dogs and our two goats got out with us. I’m not going to buy a TattsLotto ticket. I reckon I’ve used my luck up already.’
