Marlinda Rizzo outside her cafe in Avoca.Credit:Eddie Jim
Marlinda Rizzo,the owner of Home Made Cafe,said people were feeling more relaxed on Friday compared to the panicked mood on Thursday night – as hot,gusty winds whipped the area and carloads of people evacuated.
“We closed the store at 8pm[on Thursday] because my husband’s daughter kept calling saying,‘Dad you have to leave the place’,” said Rizzo,who moved to Australia 18 months ago from the Philippines and was experiencing bushfires for the first time.
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“So we didn’t finish cleaning the shop – we just got the important things,we loaded the car with my son because we just didn’t know what would happen because the wind was so bad.”
The Rizzo family drove to a friend’s place in Maryborough for several hours,but late on Thursday night felt safe enough to drive home to Avoca.
“We didn’t sleep that well because we were watching for news,” she said.
Rizzo said she still had a steady stream of customers through her shop on Friday,but felt like conditions could change quickly.
“What can we do? It’s mother nature,so just keep on praying that no one is hurt and the fire[can be] stopped. But if there’s a[strong] wind again,it’s going to get worse.”
Pyrenees Shire councillor David Clark,who lives near Beaufort,said he was initially worried about his home,but it was ultimately spared.
Eerie quiet in Avoca’s town centre while under risk of bushfires.Credit:Eddie Jim
“We were potentially in the path of it,but it didn’t get that bad,” he said.
Clark said Beaufortappeared to be in grave danger on Thursday and patients were evacuated from the town’s hospital.
“There were a lot of spot fires right up to the edge of town,but the town is now fine,” he said.
Friday morning had been cool with the temperature falling to 12 degrees,which Clark said would help firefighters to battle the blaze. “It just won’t burn with that ferocity.”
Tina Koeleman,Rebecca Brunner and their dog Chief outside the Wendouree emergency relief centre on Thursday night.Credit:Eddie Jim
But he urged residents to heed the evacuation warnings from emergency services regardless of weather conditions.
Three relief centres were set up in Ballarat,Ararat and Maryborough for residents escaping the fires. In Ballarat on Thursday night,about20 people stayed overnight at the centre in Wendouree but more slept in their cars to stay with pets.
More than 10 schools and early childcare centres were closed on Friday with some temporarily relocated to other sites.
With Alex Crowe and Laura Chung