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

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.