While the region is no stranger to grassfires, Natimuk itself has never burned.

But on Friday, January 9, on the back of days of intense heat, a ferocious, fast-moving grass fire flattened 17 homes and tore through 8,000-hectares of land.

Fire crews could not match the speed of the blaze as it ran straight towards the small town.

The anatomy of this fire offers a glimpse into a new and faster kind of bushfire — and the growing vulnerability of communities as climate change fuels dangerous conditions.

It’s worth opening the article for the graphics. Scary stuff, how fast this fire moved.