WHEN Barry Harvey and his wife Heather were enjoying their holiday at Cape Patterson last month, the last thing they expected was to hear that some of their lifelong possessions had gone up in smoke.
But that is exactly what happened on January 17 at their Nyah property, when a shed fire almost spiralled out of control in hot, gusty conditions.
The shed was destroyed along with about $30,000 of tools, equipment and personal items, including a rare 1948 Atco mower and the couple's four-wheel drive.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) does not think the fire was deliberately lit, but believes it may have been caused by an electrical fault with a freezer in the shed.
The dead leaves and burn marks on nearby trees give some indication of how high the flames got, but quite incredibly, the Harveys' house was left unscathed despite being only 10 metres away from the shed.
A month on from the fire, the burnt out shed is still standing while the Harveys work with their insurance company for compensation.
Despite the disappointment of losing a huge collection of items, Mr Harvey thanked the local CFA members from Nyah West, Woorinen and Swan Hill who rushed out to his property to put out the fire.
"If it hadn't been for them, our whole house would have gone down too. The fire was vicious, you could see it from Two Bays (caravan park)," Mr Harvey said.
Mrs Harvey added: "They do a really terrific job considering it's voluntary. They're not sitting around waiting for a fire, they're normally at work."
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