THE Cudgewa Hotel was spared from the bushfire fury which ripped through the Upper Murray township on Monday night, but there are grave fears for many homes in the area.
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Owner Ralph Fair stayed behind to save the pub he and his family re-opened in March with the assistance of firefighters, but wife Carol and daughter Tracey fled the town about 11.30pm.
They have taken refuge in a motor home in Tallangatta after originally attempting to head for Khancoban, but being turned back by police as the fire crisis intensified.
"It was all pretty scary stuff," Tracey said.
"I spoke to dad this morning and he was trying to catch some sleep because he was up the whole night.
"The pub is fine."
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It's unclear whether the recently redevelopment Cudgewa Football-Netball Club changerooms survived the fire.
"It's meant to be a place of last resort, but if you went early enough you could get to Corryong or Khancoban," she said.
"Mum and I didn't leave early enough, so we were turned back and then headed for Tallangatta.
"We are stuck here and can't get back.
"We just want to be running the pub again and helping people."
Tracey said the sight of flames on the hill behind the pub was the signal for her and her mother to get out.
Tallangatta incident controller Leith McKenzie said a full assessment of the damage in Cudgewa would be made on Wednesday morning.
"We haven't allowed them in today because it is still too dangerous," he said.
"We've had sporadic fire behaviour today and a thunderstorm has just gone over the area.
"CFA and Forest Fire Management teams worked very hard in the Cudgewa area and in Corryong with fire right around the township.
"There are teams still in the Walwa area also.
"But there will be potential large scale stock losses in the community."
The fire on the Victorian side has grown to more than 100,000 hectares since crossing the Murray River on Monday night.
Access into the Corryong and Cudgewa ares remain closed at Bullioh on the Murray Valley Highway and Burrowye on the River Road.
Access into the Nariel Valley from Benambra is also blocked.
Mr McKenzie said feedback from firefighters on the ground on Monday night described as extremely challenging.
Heavy smoke prevented helicopters being deployed on the fire on Tuesday.
