INDI MP Cathy McGowan has family caught up in the fire emergency in the Indigo Valley.
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Ms McGowan’s sister and well-known Border GP Rebecca and husband Greg spent most of Sunday afternoon keeping the fire away from their property.
Ms McGowan also lives in the upper Indigo Valley, but she spent the afternoon holed up in Wodonga and kept tabs on the fire via CFA updates.
“Everyone who lives down there are extremely appreciative of the work being done by the firefighters and CFA,” she said.
“We still don’t know the full details, but the community will gather around and support each other.
“My sister has been telling me they have been watching planes fly overhead and drop water.
“There has been a huge effort go into this already.
“They are really incredible conditions they are facing.”
Paul Stone and partner Deb Corbett had their property near the Hume Highway hit hard by the fast moving grass fire.
“We’ve saved the house, sheds and animals, but the paddocks are all black and all the fences have been burnt,” she said.
“It has been a tough afternoon and it just happened so quick.”
There are unconfirmed reports of a flock of sheep being badly burnt in the fire.
The Indigo Creek Road was shut by police around 1.10pm.
Wooragee residents spent an anxious afternoon keeping tabs on the fire burning to the north of them.
Edmondson Lane couple Kevin and Sue Ross put their fire plan into place about 2pm.
“We’ve had our sprinklers going for days in anticipation of what was coming,” Mrs Ross said.
“Once the fire comes over the hill we’re gone.
“Fingers crossed it doesn’t.”
Further along the lane, Ty Bates, travelled home from Chiltern to make sure his home he had just rented out was safe from the fire burning about five kilometres away.
Mr Bates has taken over the Chiltern caravan park where there had been another smaller fire breakout earlier in the day.
“Today we were meant to be meeting our new tenants,” he said.
“They moved in on Friday.
“We back onto the oval at Chiltern and 50 metres away there was smoke coming up.
“You’ve got to ask how these fires start?”
Another Edmondson Lane resident Glen Stewart had power go out at his property around 3pm before fire activity intensified about 30 minutes later.
He was confident his fire plan would hold up and had no plans to evacuate.
