Bendigo
r4/1 Ardent $100w $3w
300

All hells breaking loose here in Bainsdale area [East Gippsland Vic.]. It's been like 9pm. at night since about 1pm. with a a dark rich red sky and the town as black as night. We are under a fire ember storm at the moment with 80k winds fanning a 300k fire front!

Licola, Red Gum plains, Dargo [God, please save the Dargo pub], Heyfield and numerous other small towns are really up against it. We have blocked off the roof gutters and filled them with water. Lots of ambulances leaving with many of the elderly from the nursing home suffering breathing problems.

It's surreal on the local ABC radio: Cricket/firereports/cricket/fire/cricket/fire. Now it's just: 'fire/fire/fire' reports. Where it's heading, where it's jumped the containment lines and where it's just gone through .... 'get out/stay/ get out/ if your not staying get out now'!

And summer here has just started.