The bowsers had run out of water so Ben had sent them over to the nearest borehole to fill up again. It took almost two hours before they arrived back, and in that time there were four more casualties, who then had to be driven back to Morgan’s Reach.

Ben couldn’t really spare the manpower even though he knew there were several hundred volunteers beating back the fire to the south, and many more were doing the same over at Carey Downs. But as darkness fell and the flames continued to leap skyward, it didn’t feel as if they were making much headway.

He and the men who worked beside him were soaked through with bore water and sweat, their faces blackened by the smoke and ash, their muscles aching and tight as they trampled through the charred debris on the forest floor and pushed back the fire.

The trench was finished, though it probably wouldn’t be needed now, and the diggers had been ordered to chop down the trees that were still burning to clear the way for the firefighters. Ben had sent the youngsters to act as runners, delivering much-needed drinking water to the firefighters when they weren’t needed to drive casualties to the hospital. Everyone was exhausted although he’d ensured that young and old were regularly sent to rest, have a cuppa and something to eat before they returned to the fray.

He blinked the sweat from his eyes and peered through the thick smoke at the convoy of trucks that were now entering the valley. ‘At last,’ he breathed. ‘Come on, Charley, you’ve earned a rest, mate. We’ve got company.’

‘I’ll rest when this bugger’s out,’ the blacksmith grunted in reply as he swung the axe to fell a blazing tree that groaned and collapsed back into the inferno.

‘Just watch what you’re doing, mate. A tired man gets careless.’ Ben could tell Charley wasn’t listening, so he wiped the sweat and grime from his face and hurried away to welcome the new arrivals.

The fire chief from Windorah was a big man in his fifties who’d seen it all before. ‘G’day, Ben,’ he boomed as he jumped out of the leading truck that towed an enormous bowser and shook Ben’s hand. ‘Sorry we couldn’t get here sooner, but this old bitch only does twenty miles an hour on a good day.’ He glanced towards the fire, hitched up his trousers, and grinned. ‘And I reckon this ain’t a good day.’

‘Good to see you, mate,’ he replied as he flexed his fingers and tried to get some life back into them after that vice-like grip. ‘We should have this thing licked now you’re here with extra bowsers.’