 During a bushfire, embers will reach your home long before the flames do. Ember attacks are the most common way that houses catch fire. Embers are burning leaves, twigs and pieces of bark. They help the bushfire spread by starting spot fires ahead of the main fire front. Short-distance ember attacks happen when leaves and small pieces of bark are blown from burning trees. The intense shower of sparks that forms fills the air with hot, burning embers, which will land on nearby vegetation and properties. The hot embers can easily land and get into your clothes and burn your skin, eyes and airways. Small fires will start all around you and quickly become uncontrollable. The resulting chaos creates confusion as the fire seems to come from many directions, meaning it will be difficult to make good decisions about your safety. The experience will be physically exhausting and emotionally traumatic. Long-distance ember attack is caused by large bushfires that generate intense heat. As the hot air rises, it forms a column of smoke that sucks in air like a vacuum, increasing the intensity of the fire. The updraft in the column lifts embers, like large pieces of burning ribbon bark, hundreds of metres into the air where strong winds can carry them many kilometres beyond the fire front. On Black Saturday, embers travelled more than 30 kilometres ahead of the main fire. When these embers land, they often start fires where leaves naturally accumulate, like in gutters, doorways and garden beds. So while you might think you're safe when a bushfire is far away, embers can fall from the sky and land around your home long before you even know there's a fire. But remember, your home isn't the only thing under threat during an ember attack. By the time you realise the danger, it might be too late as escape routes become jammed. Embers can also start fires on roads and block them completely, making late evacuation dangerous or impossible. That's why leaving early before a fire starts is always your safest option.