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At least three homes have been destroyed and the toll is expected to rise as firefighters begin to case the aftermath of the fire that swept through the Indigo Valley in the state's north east.
Residents living in rural properties along Masons Gap Road, about 40 kilometres south-west of Wodonga, appear to be one of the worst effected from the almost 9000 hectare grass fire.
Three homes have been destroyed while fire came within metres of others, sheds have been burnt out and stock has been lost with the cracks of shotguns ringing out through the valley as farmers begin the heavy task of euthanising animals.
Firefighters are still assessing the area and the number of homes lost is expected to rise.
Shane Hogarth narrowly escaped with his life when a phone call from a friend woke him on Sunday afternoon and he was told he needed to get out.
"I grabbed everything, I had about 20-30 minutes," he said.
The home he was close to finishing building with his wife Gianna Hogarth, who is studying in Melbourne, on Masons Gap Road was destroyed.
The couple returned to the scene on Monday morning.
"You see it every year on the news, scenes like this. We didn't think it would be us," Ms Hogarth said.
The home over the road was also lost, and a neighbour next to the Hogarths lost his home.
That neighbour, Frank Bonatesta, 70, was also back on his property on Monday morning feeding goats that has survived.
His neighbour had grabbed him from his house on Sunday when the fire began roaring towards them.
"'We gotta go, we gotta go,'" Mr Bonatesta repeated his neighour's frantic call.
"I didn't grab anything, not even my wallet."
All he had left was the clothes on his back.
Over the road from the Hogarths, and next door to the other home lost, fire stopped short of Kevin Nightingale's home by centimetres.
Mr Nightingale chose to stay and fight and emotional scenes unfolded at his property after relatives arrived to make sure he and his wife, who had took shelter in town, had survived.
"You're a bloody bugger," his relative said as he hugged him upon their arrival.
"Saved it with a bucket of water," Mr Nightingale responded.
He said he felt like he was in the depths of hell as trees exploded and embers were flung into his home, whipped by 100km/h winds.
"It was like hell and I was in the middle of it," he said.
"The fire, the whirly winds, you didn't know what it was going to do."