Fires swarmed most of Victoria today. I got a text from a friend who has told me she’s having a very hard time. She works for the Red Cross in Bendigo, which is one of the state’s larger cities. The fires reached within one kilometre of its CBD. She and her partner have been volunteering with survivors and fighters. She’s told me she has seen things she would rather see again.

A neighbouring town of Redesdale also got some fire, which alarmed me as I have friends there. I called them and they were okay, but were concerned for me as they heard power in Shepparton would be cut to increase supply to affected areas.

Take our electricity, man. You may need it more than us. Knocking on wood right now but Shepparton appears safe at the moment. It’s a little hard to breathe at times for the smoke, and the sun looks really weird – like it’s ominous for something. But we are really lucky so far.

I have a meeting tomorrow morning in Melbourne, but I hear I may not get there, as fires have ravaged an area just south of the Great Dividing Range, where the highway runs through.