fire+in+Lara

Fire In Lara: 1963

Fire swept through Lara leaving 18 people dead and 44 homes destroyed, named “Black Wednesday”. Black Wednesday started on the Bacchus Marsh road. Early the next morning the winds picked up to 120 km/h and pushed the flames towards the Lara lake area. More than 500 fire fighters and men tried to fight the blaze but despite their efforts the death toll was at 10. The number of deaths rose to 18 when 8 people tried to flee on foot via the princess highway. The Lara Lake State School was also destroyed in the blaze.