Looters target charity money

HEARTLESS thieves stole hundreds of dollars from a cafe as people were evacuating from bushfires in Victoria on Saturday night.

Cash stolen from the Latte on High cafe in Terang included donations to charity.

Owner Beverley Carroll said her cafe was broken into late at night while locals were busy ducking for cover.

“They smashed in through the back and stole money from the till,” Ms Carroll said.

Boxes with donations to a range of charities were taken from the top of the cash till.

Communities in Victoria’s southwest are counting the cost of the destructive fires.

A young couple will spend their first wedding anniversary putting their lives back togeth- er after their home was lost in the fires. At least 18 homes were destroyed but that number could rise as residents return to their properties.

People were yesterday seeking shelter at relief centres while waiting to be allocated temporary housing. The impact on the area’s farming community is expected to be devastating, with hundreds of livestock lost and more than 40,000ha of prime pastoral and farm land scorched.

Rebecca Jones and her husband, Barney, had just finished renovating their four-bedroom home in Elingamite when it was wiped out during the fires.

“It’s something you can never prepare yourself for,” Ms Jones said.

She was scrolling through Facebook when she saw a video posted by her neighbour of fires bearing down on their home. The couple managed to save their pet dog and grab some clothes before retreating to Mr Jones’s father’s home.