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A fast-moving fire threat that began late Wednesday night has left parts of rural Victoria shaken, with homes lost, farms destroyed and residents forced to flee as catastrophic conditions took hold on Friday.
Shane Thomson, who operates Ray White Euroa and Ray White Seymour, described the past few days as some of the most confronting the community has faced, particularly for a region more accustomed to floods than major bushfires.
“The fire started Wednesday night into Thursday morning around Longwood,” Shane Thomson said. “Friday was a catastrophic day.”
While early assessments suggested Euroa itself might be spared, the rapidly changing conditions prompted a precautionary evacuation.
“My gut feeling was that Euroa would be safe,” he said. “But we decided to get out anyway. My partner and I packed up the dogs and went to Benalla for the night.”
In the end, the town was spared, a result Mr Thomson credits to the tireless efforts of firefighters on the ground.
“The firies did an amazing job to keep it out of town,” he said. “The wind changed and we were worried it would head north towards us, but they kept it at bay.”
Returning home, Mr Thomson said the atmosphere remained unsettling. “It’s been really eerie,” he said. “You’re constantly watching the sky, checking updates, keeping an eye on things.”
The human toll became clear early on Friday morning during a trip to the supermarket.
“I went to the local supermarket to get some supplies and there were people walking around who had lost everything,” Mr Thomson said. “It was a really emotional and confronting time.”
He said the disaster broke down social barriers instantly. “People you don’t know that well - you just give them a hug,” he said. “I’ve noticed a real sense of community in the district. People are throwing support around and doing whatever they can.”
The fires have already had a devastating impact on property and agriculture. Mr Thomson confirmed one rental property was completely destroyed.
“It was burnt to the ground,” he said. “But the tenant, we had her approved for a new property within a few hours. The team just jumped in and made it happen.”
“We had a $3 million farm on the market that has been wiped out,” Mr Thomson said. “There was also a small acreage subdivision next door, we’d only sold it a few months ago. They’re absolutely devastated.”
Beyond homes, the destruction of farmland has created an urgent animal welfare crisis.
“There are thousands of acres that have just gone up,” he said. “Animals need to be fed.”
Mr Thomson said his team has been working closely with corporate networks to source emergency support. “We’ve been liaising with our corporate teams to see if they have connections to feed and fodder,” he said. “We’re trying to do all of the right things.”
He also stressed the importance of insurance during disasters like this. “It really shows how critical insurance is,” Mr Thomson said. “There are options like 30 days of free insurance through Ray White Insurance, which has saved people in these situations before.”
All open homes across the district were cancelled over the weekend as safety became the priority. “We cancelled everything,” he said. “We all live in town, but I just wanted to make sure the teams were safe.”
Behind the scenes, staff have been working around the clock to support displaced residents.
“We threw some ideas together as a team and asked, ‘How can we actually help?’” Mr Thomson said. “We’re trying to be a conduit.”
The office put a call-out to the wider community for household goods and donations. “We set up a monday.com board to manage household item donations,” he said. “The response has been really strong.”
With residents only just beginning to return home, Mr Thomson expects the scale of need will soon become clearer.
“People are only now starting to realise what they need to replace,” he said.
Rental teams are fast-tracking applications and reallocating resources to get people housed as quickly as possible.
“We’re expediting all rental applications and prioritising anyone who needs to be relocated,” he said. “Collectively, we’ve got vacant properties and we’re using every resource we have to speed things up.”
A call has also gone out for short-term accommodation as the recovery effort continues.
“This community has been through floods before,” Mr Thomson said. “But fires like this; it’s different. And the way people are showing up for each other has been incredible.”
