The homes destroyed were "Charlemont", the property of the late Mr L Sprague; Messrs AT Blyth, A Hartwick, J Alford, Mrs Hill, Mr L Bufton, E Brown, A Ricketts, P Fischer, J Williams, R Kerger, JH Coombs, Mrs R Foster (house occupied by Mr Law, school teacher), Miss Burville, cottage on the property of Mr D Stewart and the cottage on property of Mr F Stone. A shed was destroyed at the home of Mrs Ellis and all outbuildings at the home of Mr J Wohlers, but the post office at Mount Duneed was saved after a strenuous fight. A fence alongside the office was destroyed.
Other residents who suffered losses of hay and other material were Messrs C Seiffert, A Winkler, E Cleary, G Evans and J Blyth. Considerable losses of stock are anticipated.
From the Geelong Advertiser 15 January 1944 and 17 January 1944
Standing amid the ruins of his home at Mount Duneed Mr WT Hill told a very dramatic story of the fire on 15 January 1944.
"The hedge across the road burned so fiercely in the wind that it was a few seconds only before bits of it set fire to my home. A new verandah went so soon that I had only time to take my wife to the middle grass paddock, already burned over. We just got out of the house as the roof was falling in"
From the Newcastle Sun, Saturday 15 January 1944
From the Mount Duneed Primary School Centenary 1878 - 1978