VICTORIA'S grateful caravanning industry has said a big thank-you to firefighters who tackled the state's killer bushfires in February.

Calignee Fire Brigade Captain Ian Ewart receives a cheque from Mr Briant

Kinglake West Fire Brigade 1st Lieutenant Karen Norbury receives her cheque

Heart-felt thanks to Marysville Fire Brigade representative John Munday

More than 170 people died in the horrific fires which destroyed the towns of Kinglake and Marysville and badly damaged others north-east of Melbourne.

Former Aussie Wide Caravans director Graham O'Shea, his wife Debbie (37) and their children Trey (10) and Lyric (8), were killed when their Kinglake home was consumed by flames.

Caravan parks were closed and some damaged as flames spread through the region.

The Victorian Premier described the fire-affected regions as "hell on earth" as flames spread through more than 300,000 hectares of countryside.

More than 4000 Country Fire Authority firefighters battled tirelessly to bring the infernos, described as Australia's worst ever natural disaster, under control .

And now Caravan Industry Victoria has honoured the brave CFA men and women who risked their own lives attempting to bring the fires under control.

Every firefighter turning up at the state's recent Caravan, Camping and Touring Supershow who produced their official CFA identification or wore CFA clothing, such as a shirt or hat featuring the CFA logo, were granted free admission.

The captains of six CFA fire brigades were each presented with cheques for $1700 as a token of the caravan industry's appreciation.

"Many of our members were directly or indirectly affected by the Victorian fires and we wanted to thank all CFA members by offering free entry to the show for a day," Caravan Industry Victoria executive director Peter Wright said.

And president Tony Briant added: "The board and members were devastated by the bushfires and voted unanimously to make donations to the CFA brigades. We hope our contribution will help the CFA continue to offer such vital services in regional Victorian communities."

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