Fires Episode 5 airs Sun 24 Oct on ABC TV

Late December. Huge fire fronts have joined up and the “megafire” continues its assault, spreading across the country.

The fires are so hot and intense, they are creating their own weather – including ash rain, lightning which starts more fires, and even tornados. Disturbingly, as the scale of the fires escalates, there are not enough resources to fight them.

A wall of flame bears down on two women, Ruth (Kate Box) and Nawra (Helana Sawires), as they desperately defend their home and the wildlife they care for. They call for help.

In the fire control centre, radio operator Kip (Daniel Henshaw) is trying to juggle the needs of too many people – like Ruth and Nawra – needing help, and not enough resources to help them. Although he is initially able to send Tash (Eliza Scanlen) and Mott (Hunter Page-Lochard) to help the women, he is forced to reroute them for a bigger group of people under threat. He has to break the news to Ruth and Nawra that they are on their own. There are no fire trucks available to help.

Abandoned, Ruth and Nawra barely escape with their lives and make their way to a local store, where others are sheltering.

As Tash and Mott head home for a much-needed break, the wind changes and picks up in intensity. Ruth and Nawra, and the others in town, are now under threat again, and local fire services are all out fighting bigger blazes elsewhere.

Production credits: The series is produced by Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), which is backed by NBCUniversal International Studios and Matchbox Pictures, for the ABC. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC, with support from Film Victoria through the Victorian Screen Incentive and Regional Location Assistance Fund. Distribution is handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution. ABC Executive Producers: Sally Riley and Brett Sleigh.

Airdate: Sunday 24 October 2021 at 8.40pm on ABC TV and iview.

Season 1 Episode 5