Ballarat Courier | 1998 Linton fires: Lara senior station officer Simon Scharf tells his story from within the blaze Ballarat Courier By 8.40pm, much of the fire surrounding the township of Linton had been extinguished. The flames surrounding Lara senior station officer Simon Scharf and his five crews from the Geelong region lay low. “You could have walked around with a wet wheat bag ... Honouring Vic fireys killed 20 years ago 'It Still Haunts Me': 20 Years On From The Linton Bushfire Tragedy |