The sizzling heat on Sunday [the 8th] was responsible for the spread of many bush fires in various parts of the State.

...Shortly after evening church services started in Alexandra, word came through by telephone in Taggerty to the local police and the Secretary of the Bush Fire Brigade that assistance was required. By nine o’clock two hundred volunteers had left the town in motor cars and trucks, equipped with beaters, rakes, and knapsack pumps.

...A blazing furnace was in evidence, trees in the bush were ignited and flames a hundred feet high were seen. The heat was terrific, with burning embers falling everywhere. Breaks were made, but with a strong wind blowing the efforts of the volunteers were marred to a certain extent.

...The heavy pall of smoke around the countryside made it difficult for fire-fighters to ascertain where the danger spots were.

...All day Sunday the light was dull, and the sun appeared to set an hour before its time. The smoke haze was so thick that the sun only partly penetrated it. Bits of debris from the fires were floating about on the air at nighttime, causing irritation to the eyes.

[AYS, 13/1/39]