BEECHWORTH'S devastating fire on Black Saturday could have been catastrophic were it not for fuel reduction burning during the past five years.

Department of Sustainability Ovens district manager Shaun Lawlor told the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission in Myrtleford on Monday that the fire would have engulfed the entire Ovens Valley had it not been for the reduction burns.

"The main run of the fire would have been at least an extra 12km on February 7 and would have impacted on the entire Ovens Valley and Bright, including the incident control centre at Ovens," he said.

"Fire behaviour increased dramatically once the fire emerged from fuel reduction burn areas."

In the fuel reduction areas, flame heights reached 10m, spotting was 500m and fire speed 2km/h. In comparison, the large crown fire in unburnt bush had resulted in long distance spotting of up to 9km, Mr Lawlor said.

Monday's hearing in Myrtleford was a chance for the region's fire-affected residents to see first hand the commission's investigation into the tragedy of Black Saturday, which killed two people at Mudgegonga.

Everton farmer and retired volunteer fire fighter Ron Briggs said the hearing had raised shortcomings with the triple service and highlighted the use of fuel reduction burning.

Retired forester Ken Howe, of Beechworth, also took the opportunity to sit in on the hearings.

"Lives were lost, there is still a lot of hurt, and it will take a long time to get over," he said.

"There has got to be some good to come out of this inquiry."

Wooragee CFA volunteer Bob Bennett was also there.

A power blackout meant no landline, computers, fax or photo copier when he served at the Beechworth incident control centre during the fire.

''I was there right from the start - a big issue is power and communications during fire," Mr Bennett said.

"People need to have the old-fashioned telephones connected."

Tawonga farmer and member of the Stretton Group, Simon Paton, said it was refreshing to hear a senior DSE staffer acknowledge the difference in fire performance between wild bush and where fuel was reduced.

"From our point of view, this was the key to the whole thing," Mr Paton said.

The hearing continues in Myrtleford today, then in Horsham tomorrow and Friday.