00:00In the shadow of looming danger, volunteers are fighting fire with fire.
00:09The southern Grampians blaze has been burning out of control for several days.
00:13Ten kilometres from the front line, backburns are creating lines of defence.
00:17It can absolutely be the difference between life and death.
00:21Towns that aren't in immediate danger are getting ready.
00:23Yeah, look, there's quite a bit of nervousness.
00:26Especially as this weekend's temperatures are predicted to soar.
00:29Saturday through to Tuesday of next week, it's all in that 36 to 40 range.
00:34Very hot and with a shifting wind likely on Saturday.
00:37If that wind becomes northerly, authorities fear the blaze could burn towards the historic
00:42township of Cavendish.
00:43Yeah, that's the major concern.
00:45The Coates family has farmed here for a century.
00:48Pam Coates wrote this list.
00:50It's the things that you can't replace.
00:52The last time they were in bushfire danger.
00:54It's stayed on my fridge for a number of years now.
00:58So that's something I'll grab and that'll be my checklist.
01:04Authorities hope backburning gets firefighters onto the front foot.
01:07These are locations that are strategically identified.
01:12They're due to be burnt to create breaks that if the fire escapes from the national park,
01:17that the firefighters can actually combat the fire.
01:20Today, dozens of volunteers worked along the road between Cavendish and Dunkels.
01:25Their work won't stop until the fire danger does.
01:28In these situations, everyone just drops what they're doing and supports the community at large.
01:33Right now, that need is enormous.
01:36Over the next few days, firefighters are planning to burn hundreds of hectares just like this
01:42in an effort to save potentially thousands more.
01:46But it all depends on the weather and the conditions as to what they can do and how they can do it.
01:53While conditions allow, the work continues.
01:56You can only do so much and then it's the luck, isn't it?
02:01In the hills and valleys that weren't so lucky, blackened trunks are already turning green.
02:05A region resilient in the face of what has been and what could come.
