A former Shropshire family now living in Australia were packing cherished possessions today ready to flee their home amid fears that the fires sweeping Victoria could turn on their community.

Megan and Steve Norris live in the Dandenongs hills above Melbourne, an area which had been on high fire alert before the blaze suddenly changed direction and swept through the King Lake area.

Ironically they have just returned home after visiting family in Shropshire.

“These tiny townships are half an hour from us, and we can still see the smoke today as more than 4,000 firefighters continue to battle the blaze which is still raging,” she said. 

She said one son, Alex and his family, had been staying at the family home at the time of the fire while the other lives even closer to the devastated area.

“Peter who lives in Lilydale, said the flames looked like a volcano erupting from about 15 minutes away.

“We are now on high alert for the weekend. The Army has joined the volunteers who are flooding in from other areas of Victoria to help contain the blaze before the temperatures rocket again.

“I am packing my treasures tonight – my photographs, birth certificates etc, and am taking them to a friend’s off the mountain.

“In the event of the predicted soaring temperatures on Saturday and high winds, we will take our pets and evacuate as will our neighbours. Our home is weatherboard, and it is insured. You can replace property but not people.

“When we arrived back in New Zealand on the way home and saw our own street on the TV screens, with police setting up road blocks and warning people to be on the alert for suspicious activity, it really brought it home.

“I intend to offer my help this weekend, to support the Kalorama CFA volunteers by at least making them tea and sandwiches.

“The fires are believed to have been deliberately started, like the one in 1997 that swept through the Dandenongs and killed two of our neighbours.”