General News
22 January, 2026
Volunteers quick to contain fires
THE rapid response and logistical preparedness of Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades from across the region saw multiple lightning strike fires brought under control quickly despite catastrophic conditions.
The start to the new year had been a busy one for the six brigades comprising the Mortlake Group – Mortlake, Ellerslie, Kolora, Hexham, The Sisters and Wooriwyrite.
Incidents early in 2026, which included fodder shed and bailer fires, were cause for caution due to drought conditions leaving fields across the region dry.
But caution heightened when Mortlake Group officer Merrilyn McCosh, an Ellerslie-based farmer and member of the local brigade, was among those to receive a warning conditions were expected to worsen further on Friday, January 9.
Soaring temperatures, wind speeds predicted to reach the low 70kmhp range and an early evening thunderstorm rolling through – with almost no rain falling but consistent lightning strikes – were forecast over the drought-stricken landscape of the south west.
The forecast had prompted a catastrophic fire danger rating – the highest rating possible on days where conditions are the most dangerous for fires to take hold and threaten lives and property.
“We were warned a few days beforehand that thunderstorms would be coming through at around 3pm – we’d hoped the forecast might be wrong but they rolled in around 6pm,” Ms McCosh said.
“We were already alert and, being a catastrophic day, most people in the CFA were hanging around and ready to go.
“The Ellerslie truck was on its way to the bushfire at Streatham but we got the call for all the lighting strikes.
“They were not far out of Skipton but decided to return when the lighting strikes started.
“There were two members of the Wooriwyrite brigade on the Ellerslie truck – we share members from across the Mortlake Group depending on who can go and who we need to crew a truck.”
The caution proved timely, as the lightning strikes began, so too did multiple fires.
“Within five minutes we had two fires at Kolora and a Glenormiston fire, which fell under the Camperdown Group but we rendered assistance,” Ms McCosh said.
“Another popped up at South Road around 20 minutes later.
“Shortly afterwards, the Mortlake tanker got called to another fire at Woorndoo.
“There was another at Kilnoorat Road just outside Bookaar and one at Picarra Lane in the Lismore Group – which our brigades attended to support the other groups.”
The emergence of multiple fires required a precise logistical response.
Ms McCosh, who is “out of action firefighting” due to injury, was still out in her CFA vehicle manning the phones.
Just as the brigades under the Mortlake Group had offered support for neighbouring groups, so too were those groups rallying support of their own.
Just as important as getting water on fires is the communication behind different groups and brigades working collaboratively to have assets not only responding to incidents which have occurred, but ensuring adequate coverage to respond to anything else which might occur.
“We still had the Hexham tanker at Streatham when this started but we had two Mortlake tankers and the Kolora Brigade at the Kolora Fire and the Wooriwyrite Brigade at the Glenormiston fire as well as the Kolora fire,” Ms McCosh said.
“Mortlake was called away to the South Road fire and then to the Woorndoo fire.
“While we had no trucks, I called the Warrnambool Brigade in the Merri Group to have Warrnambool volunteers come out in addition to Purnim and Grassmere tankers come to Mortlake because if something happened further south, we had no trucks.
“We had assets everywhere – Garvoc also were in the area and they’re Hopkins-Curdies Group.
“We were so well supported with other groups coming up to back up because there wasn’t as much lightning south of Mortlake.”
The collaborative efforts of the volunteers comprising the brigades soon brought the fires under control before they could spread, pushing the volunteers into a role of vigilance to prepare for any further needed responses.
“We’ve very lucky it wasn’t too strong of a wind, which slowed it down,” Ms McCosh said.
“I was driving around Mortlake with vehicles positioned to watch and respond, so we had it all covered so we could see the bang of lighting, the fire, then jump on the radio and send in the trucks.
“They were sitting on Terang-Mortlake Road at the corner of Castle-Carey Road, and we’d also called in the Woolsthorpe truck which is an 11,000-litre tanker of water.
“We had no water around because it is so dry, so it was a lot of logistics keeping everyone sorted when we had everyone, everywhere.
“There was that many strikes, it was unbelievable. Some of them were fierce.”
The following night there were a series of undefined fires including on The Sisters-Terang Road, another at Glenormiston near the site of the fires the day before and one at Bookaar on Darlington Road.
The Saturday fires were quickly brought under control in continued ongoing catastrophic conditions, which were milder than the previous night.
Ms McCosh said it was always a good day when crews could keep communities protected despite such challenging conditions.
“We’re all in it to protect properties in the community,” she said.
“We also had a guy go on a three-day deployment to Albury after the fires had died down.
“They were there for the public to be aware they were around and available – to make them feel comfortable.”
The appreciation from the wider community for the efforts of volunteers was clear – an appreciation which was shared from CFA crews in regards to community behaviour.
“We’re very appreciative of the community – everyone was really good,” Ms McCosh said.
“They weren’t out on the roads on Friday night – we didn’t have people out sticky beaking, which can really get in the way of the trucks.
“When we were coming back to the sheds, someone had dropped off two containers of cake and slices so everyone could have a cup of tea and a cake.
“We’re all really appreciative of things like this.”
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