It's a bad day for all concerned when a gunman holds Chris and Adam hostage at the pub, and Tom is shot while acting as a mediator. When Investigators probe allegations of corruption among the Heelers, tempers fray.

Tom Croydon is shot at the Imperial Hotel. The mood of paranoia among the Heelers intensifies as they set out to capture the prison escapees and avenge Tom's shooting.

Ben becomes the victim of anti-gay slurs when his hairdresser friend, Tony, arrives in town. Prejudice builds however, when Tony's popularity wilts the opposition and happy clients confide their closest secrets to him. Someone it seems, confided too much, and Ben finds Tony dead in the salon stabbed in the neck with a pair of scissors.

There is a total fire ban. A frustrated PJ is seduced by Jo one night, while - in the other room - Ben gets progressively drunker. Later, as Jo and PJ lie awake, they smell smoke and realise the house is on fire. After rescuing Ben, they flee.

While they recover at the hospital, Jonesy arrives and tells them that all their belongings are destroyed. Ben claims an intruder knocked him out, so an arson squad is called. Meanwhile, Tess and Jonesy fight over her new marriage to Dr. Carmichael.

At the remains of their house, PJ finds a photo frame with Maggie in it, and pockets it but doesn't tell Jo. The arson squad discovers that it wasn't arson but a single candelabra - exactly what Ben had going.

Another fire has broken out, possibly started from the fire at PJ's

The 'hero' who entered PJ's house after the fire, Wayne Bayliss, is considered a suspect, particularly when a driptorch and a scrapbook of news articles on fires is found at his home.

The fire gets progressively worse and Jo, Be

Amongst those searching, Tess and PJ must admit their true feelings for Jonesy and Jo respectively. But even as the flames die down, there is trouble when Ben - who realises he may have caused the entire bushfire - promises that he has stopped drinking, even though it may not be true.