Strawberries sizzle in fire zone

Strawberry growers in Victoria's largest growing region have been battling not just to keep their crops alive through the fires, but also themselves and their houses.

 

President of the Victorian Strawberry Growers Association, Sam Violi, has been on the phone all morning trying to contact growers near Kinglake and Toolangi to see how they survived the firestorm.

 

Mr Violi said fire affected his own property too, in the Coldstream region, south of Kinglake.

"Saturday was one of the worst days that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime trying to grow strawberries, let alone trying to survive the wind and heat and fires coming towards us," he said.

"And about 5 o'clock we saw another fire coming in from behind us."