cheesemonster2005 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Raging fires in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia have killed at least 170 people. Fires continue and authorities say that there will be many more dead. It is Australia's worst disaster ever. Rescue teams are set to resume the grim search for victims of Australia's wildfires amid fears the death toll will continue to rise. The fires which have swept across parts of Victoria have claimed 170 lives, with many others hurt, some critically. Residents in many areas are still on alert as more than a dozen fires continue to burn uncontrolled. Some fires are being treated as arson, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said amounted to "mass murder". Detectives have sealed off a number of sites, including the devastated small town of Maryville, as possible crime scenes. BBC News I have seen wild fires out of control in South America where populations are sparser. Australia is Earth's driest continent and population in south Victoria can get quite dense. Shocking stories from firemen and people chased from their homes in the article too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 They should machine-gun any arsonists they catch too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 no just tie them to a tree and burn them alive would be better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 They should machine-gun any arsonists they catch too. no just tie them to a tree and burn them alive would be better Problem is the bastards are difficult to catch - but if anyone got them other than the Police its odds on they wouldn't make it to the cells. Big problem is that the eucalypts give off oil vapour which literally explodes into balls of fire. Like a lot of folk I guess, we are waiting to get news of good friends who live up at Kinglake West which is one of the places badly burnt out. Our hope is that because their home has a lake used by the CFA to fill up fire fighting vehicles and helicopter buckets they may either got the message to get out very early on from the CFA or the CFA guys made sure that their place was protected as much as possible. At least it is not built in the trees and is solid brick. A big issue in areas like Kinglake is how far people should be allowed a) to build in combustible but 'green' materials, b) whether folk should be allowed to build in the 'bush' c) whether the rules on not being allowed to plant deciduous trees should be relaxed as they don't burn so explosively as the native trees. The CFA have been magnificent and the area will recover. Funny thing is gum trees need fire to regenerate - so some seeds will sprout from the heat - but what destruction and with the arson fires exacly what Kevin Rudd says, mass murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 10 dead in St Andrew's where I stayed a couple of years ago. I am going down to Phillip Island for the World Superbikes in two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topaz Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 there is no good news, however: Pictured: The badly burned koalas who became best friends after surviving Australia's deadliest bushfires http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...g-bushfires.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topaz Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Whoops! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-bushfires.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Just heard from our friends to say that they are safe - Michelle's description of what happened is not only moving and frightening but says a lot about human bravery and resilience. We sometimes don't know just how lucky we are here: Thanks for thinking of us and yes we are okay - tail feathers a little singed but ok. Lost two friends who were trapped in their house with their two dogs. We are very, very sad about losing them. House is still here, lost our sheds and all the fencing. Now have 35 acres of burnt, black trees instead of lush, green ones, but they will grow again. Three cats, one dog and birds all okay. One little ginger stray that we had been feeding got singed and one eye is closed shut - we think he might have been hit by falling embers. Our car was damaged when I was outrunning the fires - I had all the animals in the car and was trying to get them away and safe. Fire was behind me and burning trees were all over the road. I was doing 80K and the fire was still catching me. But then I turned and drove into a road where everything was already burnt out. A burning tree fell in front of me and I drove over the top of the crown. The branches punctured the transmission, destroyed the air-conditioning and I drove without any oil left to get away from the fires. Don't know how much damage to the engine - it may be write-off. But I don't care - I escaped !!! Victor stayed in the house to try and save it, which he did. An inferno was burning all around him - terrifying! He was all alone but he still had the presence of mind to video the fires as they engulfed our property - unbelievable! What control of mind and emotions! He is okay, just a little weather-beaten - incredible! I am truly awe-struck. I returned after the fires had passed. Have no drinking water, no toilets, no showers, but power came back on last night. All the plastic pipes to our water supply melted. Phones were off for a couple of days and mobiles went flat as no power to recharge them. I am still trying to contact people who phoned during this time. Red Cross have been absolutely fabulous, they are looking after all of us. They have provided mobile toilets, showers, any clothing and sundries you need and hot meals all day long. They are also providing food for all the pets and stock animals and arranging for the removal of carcasses. RSPCA is also here, taking care of animals and wildlife. Vets, Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics are all volunteering their services. The DSE DISPLAN major disaster plan has been implemented and the organisation of all this is just amazing. The Australian Army is here, going house-to-house fixing things, Salvation Army is here. We have meters of plastic pipes to be replaced as they all melted. Until they are repaired we have no water and have to go and get it every day. Like everyone else we spend the day roaming around the mountain collecting things and visiting different aid centres. Kinglake has become a tent city, while the army have a big compound on the football field. Water tanks have to be cleaned and refilled as the smoke, ash and chemicals pollute the water. Police are patrolling all the time for fear of looters. We all have to wear identifying arm bands and without them you cannot get thru the barricades and road blocks to return to the mountains. There is an 8pm curfew, after that time nothing moves. Our house stinks, plastic water bottles are overwhelming us, we cannot wash anything. Clothes - forget it! We have disinfectant swabs to wipe ourselves and surfaces clean but still the rubbish piles up. Poor Victor has to carry water from the dam to keep filling the toilet. Death and destruction up here is overwhelming. Smoke hangs over the area all day and night. It burns your eyes and gives you headaches. The stench is awful - death and decay everywhere. They estimate that over a million native animals have perished while domestic stock runs into hundreds of thousands. We rescued a little possum who burnt all her feet and ripped several toe nails out trying to escape. She is now wearing green and blue mittens and looks quite a treat. The mountain is just miles and miles of scorched earth and blackened trees. Burnt out cars and pulverised houses are everywhere. Your feet sink into the ground because it is covered with a thick layer of ash. Your clothes are full of it, your hair, it's in your mouth, your eyes and there is no escape. The inside of the house will have to be scrubbed, top to bottom as there is ash everywhere. It's horrible. Trees, fenceposts and rubble are still smouldering. I picked up a crowbar yesterday and it was still warm. Pottery has melted and I believe that pottery firing kilns reach a temperature of 1000 degrees and metal melts at 660 degrees.We don't see the sun - just a red glowing ball in a very eerie, yellowish sky. I think this must be similar to the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. TV cannot give a true picture, just a snapshot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Just heard from our friends to say that they are safe - Michelle's description of what happened is not only moving and frightening but says a lot about human bravery and resilience. We sometimes don't know just how lucky we are here: Snip. Thanks for posting that, M. Much more "real" than a news report. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 ABC Four Corners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.