A CHARRED hill stood out yesterday in what is normally a picturesque North East landscape.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dry, brown grass swayed weakly towards the firefront.
A mob of kangaroos was seen leaving the West Wodonga hill, headed for greener pastures.
About 150 firefighters armed with water took up the fight against the flames, wiping their dusty and sweaty brows in response to the sun’s intense heat.
The erratic wind gusts were the worst enemy for those attempting to control the blaze and firefighters were hoping they would die down and leave a still summer’s day.
But not even those in charge of fighting the blaze would make predictions or speculate as to what would happen with the weather, because of the likelihood that conditions would change in an instant.
An air crane, two helicopters and a plane circled above the blaze, dropping water and retardant to deter the flames from spreading further.
A shooting range off Plunketts Road became a staging area for fire trucks and their crews to refuel.
Wodonga TAFE also became a hub for those working tirelessly behind the scenes in planning how to tackle the blaze.
SES, CFA, police and Wodonga Council, as well as MICA paramedics conveyed warnings to the public as a first priority.
Incident controller Graham Healy kept in close contact with those fighting the fires and made clear a plan of attack.
“We just need to bomb as much as we can for as long as we can,” he said calmly down the phone.
RELATED