Road to recovery

 

Recovering after a major incident can take years. We talked to a brigade affected by last January's Longwood fire, and a brigade impacted by the 2024 Pomonal fire.

 

Koriella community jumps into action
Four months on from the Longwood fire in January 2026, the towns of Koriella and Fawcett are slowly getting back on their feet. The Fawcett Hall, which has been a vital recovery hub for the community, is now open every other day, and after recent rain the landscape is regenerating. It’s a far cry from the immediate aftermath of the fire.

“We had no power, no phones, no data, no Wi-Fi. Those that lost water tanks had no water. We had no services. It was a moonscape,” Koriella Fire Brigade Captain Scott Reeves said (pictured above).

The fire impacted Koriella and Fawcett on the catastrophic fire danger day on 9 January. About 20 homes were lost, countless sheds and outbuildings, plus livestock. At one stage during that fateful day, the Fawcett Hall was directly under threat but the brigade successfully defended it.  

“The first big job we had to do was save the hall, because that was where we’d base our recovery hub. The crew were great; nothing was a problem.” Scott said.

While Scott and the brigade were busy managing flare-ups in the days following 9 January, local resident and Fawcett Hall President Sam Hicks sprang into action and set up the recovery hub at the hall.  

“Sam’s been fantastic for the community, and she’s still running it, albeit a couple of days a week now. In those first few days [after the fire] it was about getting the basics – water, food, clothing – anything people had lost. Sam put all those calls out.  

“The next phase was animals. What are we going to do about all the cattle and sheep? She coordinated a lot of that too.

“A lot of our farmers are quite self-sufficient, but there were also locals who needed the hall for that talk and chat. An instant message group was also set up and anyone could join it. It was a good way to communicate what was happening at the hall and what supplies had come in” Scott said.

For Koriella Fire Brigade, 2026 has been one of their busiest years. The brigade usually averages five callouts a year, but between 8 January and 21 February, Scott and his crew were on the truck for 35 days. 

Pomonal balances risk and recovery two years on

On 13 February 2024, a lightning strike near what's now known as Blaze Rock ignited a fast-moving bushfire that went on to claim 45 homes in Pomonal. More than two years on, recovery in the small Grampians town means different things to different people.

Of the 45 homes lost, just five have been rebuilt. In some instances, tiny homes now sit on blocks as residents continue to face difficult decisions, while the wider community adjusts to what has changed.

“It’s a slow process. You ride that emotional rollercoaster after a fire,” Pomonal Fire Brigade Captain Steve Field said.

“You’ve just lost everything – your memories, your family heirlooms – and you can’t get that back.

“Some people remain in temporary accommodation. Others, particularly older residents without the means to start again, have left for good. Our town gets a different personality as new people come in and old ones go out,” Steve said.

“When new people come in, it’s up to us to educate them about fire safety and what living here means. Teaching people about fuel reduction, property maintenance and staying ahead of regrowth is an ongoing thing.

“The risk doesn’t go away just because we’re in recovery.”

That risk re-emerged sooner than expected. Just 10 months after the fire, Pomonal was once again threatened in December 2024 as a significant bushfire burned through the Northern Grampians.

“It got within a couple of kilometres and people were wondering, ‘surely we can’t burn again?’” Steve said. 

“The smoke really ignited people’s fears again.”

Pomonal Fire Brigade Community Safety Coordinator Andrew Cross said it was a challenging moment for the whole community. 

That work is becoming more urgent as the landscape continues to recover.

“Two years on, the regrowth is already getting out of hand in some areas,” Andrew said. “You’ve got to get in there and deal with it before it becomes a real problem.”

As attention shifts to more recent fires in other communities, Pomonal’s recovery continues without the spotlight.

“The focus was all about us in that first year,” Steve said.

“Then this year, the focus has shifted, we lose some attention as to what happened here, and we just sort of fade away into the shadows.

“I think that shift in thinking really emphasised how recovery cannot be seen as a short-term process.

“Everybody plays their part within a small community. That’s what you need. Recovery is ongoing, it doesn’t stop.”

“Pomonal got dusted with ash again and that put the fear of God back into everyone,” Andrew said.

The near incident blurred the line between recovery and preparation. 

“You owe a duty of care to your neighbours. If you’re going to live in and be part of a town, you need to come to some agreement about how much you’re going to clean up.”

 

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