Firefighting Hero Loses Home While Battling Victoria’s Infernos

HARCOURT: In a cruel twist of irony that has shaken the Central Highlands community, some of the very men fighting to save Victoria from a massive bushfire outbreak have returned to find their own homes reduced to ash.

Tyrone Rice, a Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigade commander with 48 years of service, was on the frontline battling one of the dozens of blazes ravaging the state when the call came through: his own Harcourt property was in the line of fire.

“It was too late, it was gone, it was already on fire,” Rice said. Describing the loss as a “kick in the guts,” the veteran firefighter remained stoic, noting that while he is grappling with the loss, he is “not the first person to go through it, and won’t be the last.”

The devastation is a family affair. Directly across the road, Tyrone’s brother, Ray Rice, and his wife Loretta, saw their “forever home” demolished. After 19 years in the town, the retirees are left with nothing but charred bricks.

Retirees Ray and Loretta Rice lost their forever home.

“Our retirement has all gone up in smoke,” Ray said. “I’ve been broke before, so we start again, but 79 is a bit old to be starting again.”

The Rice family are not the only responders hit by tragedy. In Alexandra, volunteer firefighter Michael Harper spent 20 hours defending the community, only to discover his home of 10 years had been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Murrindindi Mayor Damien Gallagher, who was also part of a strike team, initially feared his home was lost. While his house was miraculously spared, he urged the public to “pour our hearts out” to the many community members who were not as lucky.

As the smoke clears, the overwhelming support from fellow Australians has begun to pour in, a gesture Tyrone Rice described as “overwhelming.”