A local cattle farmer has been identified as the person tragically killed in the Longwood fire in central Victoria.
It is understood Maxwell Hobson had stayed to defend his property in Terip Terip where he bred and sold cattle before flames swept through.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Cattle farmer dies defending property in Victorian bushfires.
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Police confirmed remains were found about 100m from a burnt-out vehicle on Yarck Rd at Gobur on Sunday.
Hobson and wife Julie ran the Aintree Farm Herefords on 101 hectares, according to a piece shared by Herefords Australia.
And, according to a LinkedIn profile, he had previously spent decades working in engineering and project management in Australia and South America.
“My thoughts and condolences are with that person’s family, their loved ones, the broader community too,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said on Monday.
“Everyone across the emergency services and fire-affected communities felt that loss when we heard the news (Sunday) afternoon that someone had been lost to the fires.
“It’s a devastating impact and it’s a devastating reminder of the tragedy that fire can bring to any community, to any household, to any doorstep, particularly on those difficult, catastrophic and extreme weather days.”
Farmer Maxwell Hobson died in a fire emergency at the weekend. Credit: Herefords Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “devastating” to receive the news the fires had claimed a life.
“Our thoughts go to the family, the friends and the community who are impacted by this,” he said.
“Our thoughts are also with all those who are still doing it incredibly tough — those people who have lost their homes.
“These are communities that are under real pressure.”
It comes as the number of destroyed structures surged to 350 on Monday. Among those is more than 100 homes.
That figure is expected to rise once assessment teams are able to fully evaluate the damage when they can access all fire-hit areas.
Twelve major fires are still burning across the state on Monday afternoon, and 19 watch and act alerts are in place.
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