Victorian Bush Fires

[aussie]

Well it had to happen. With the high temperatures across South Aust, Victoria and New South Wales, coupled with the drought there are raging Bush Fires.

SA was fortunate - we only had a couple of minor fires, but Vic is engulfed in flames.

Unfortunately, some of them were started by lightning strikes, but there have been a number deliberately lit.

A couple of years ago I went on a short holiday to Vic and we were staying in some cabins in a place called Snake Valley (aptly named as it turned out). Some @#$%$ set several fires and we had to be evacuated to a town called Ballarat at about 1:30am when the flames were about 2kms away. It was rather spectacular and hairy. The smoke and the noise, coupled with the flames is something that I'll not forget in a hurry. It appears as if this one is much worse. 25 people have been reportedly killed to date and dozens of homes have been destroyed. (See the link for a story, pictures and audio)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485317.htm

(I may point out I'm no where near Victoria....)

[Lucky_Lou]

Just seen the news this morning about the mounting death toll......
my heart goes out to those poor folks i was particularly moved by the story of a family of 6 caught in there car.I cannot get my head around the mentallity of people who would add to peoples misery by lighting such fires!!!
Lou

[aussie]

<Shakes head sadly.>

Revised death toll now 84.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/744864/worst-day-in-history-vic-fires-kill-14

[arthurshort]

Well it had to happen. With the high temperatures across South Aust, Victoria and New South Wales, coupled with the drought there are raging Bush Fires.

SA was fortunate - we only had a couple of minor fires, but Vic is engulfed in flames.

Unfortunately, some of them were started by lightning strikes, but there have been a number deliberately lit.

A couple of years ago I went on a short holiday to Vic and we were staying in some cabins in a place called Snake Valley (aptly named as it turned out). Some @#$%$ set several fires and we had to be evacuated to a town called Ballarat at about 1:30am when the flames were about 2kms away. It was rather spectacular and hairy. The smoke and the noise, coupled with the flames is something that I'll not forget in a hurry. It appears as if this one is much worse. 25 people have been reportedly killed to date and dozens of homes have been destroyed. (See the link for a story, pictures and audio)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485317.htm

(I may point out I'm no where near Victoria....)

I can sympathize with you aussie. We have a bunch of the same idiots here in southern California. That try to burn it down every year.

[Darwin_R65]

Absolute disastrous, I grew up near a lot of this country. Fortunately none of my family live in affected areas, just nearby.

Today the news reported death toll at 130. A couple of whole families lost.
Some towns have lost more houses than remain. But houses are nothing compared to human life, houses can be rebuilt.

The fires are so big the smoke is showing on satellite photos.
http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=File:February_7_Victoria_Bushfires_-_MODIS_Aqua.jpg&filetimestamp=20090207115757
I used Google earth to guess the size of smoke plume and it covers 320 kms or 200 miles

There was a cool change today and temps ('C) are down in low 20's, high teens, which has helped firefighters but it comes with lightning which is just as bad as the high temps in the 40's.

every single on e of the firies deserve medals, and those responsible for the deliberately lit fires (some of them were deliberate) need castrating from the neck down.

John.

It's bucketing down in Darwin and I wish we could send some of our rain to Victoria.

[steve hawkins]

Why do they do it?

What can possibly be gained by deliberately lighting these fires?

Are we talking irresponsible youths?  Misguided Tree Huggers?  Insurance fraudsters?

I cannot comprehend what would drive someone to do this?

My condolences to all down south.

Steve H

[aussie]

To date 350 000 hectares burnt out.

131 173 (confirmed) lost their lives and still rising - some suggest 200.

Untold stock loss.

Spot fires still occurring.

Police / Parliament are looking at the law and deciding if any arsonists that are caught can be charged with murder. (Thinks this may be a given).

[Justin B.]

I just heard the latest blurbs on the radio and it's mind boggling.  I know the US has had some fairly huge fires in the past but I had never heard of people getting fried as they got into a fender-bender while trying to escape the area.   I also heard reports of people driving into reservoirs to escape the flames...  If they do snag some confirmed fire-bugs then maybe they should be turned over to the folks who lost everything...

Hopefully y'all will get some rain soon...

[DeeG]

I usually listen to the XM while sewing or paying bills.  Today was BBC.  Man in tears talking about how he had played golf with a 12 yo neighbor on Saturday and now the kid is dead.  

I lost my house to a wildfire about 20 years ago, after some kids playing with fireworks one hot and dry July afternoon set the hills on fire.  17 houses destroyed, but no one hurt.

But what I went through is nothing compared to what is going on down under.

Now there is a person on the radio explaining why people set fires.  Something to the effect that these people don't realize what could happen.  WTF??  These are not 5 year olds playing with matches...   

 [smiley=furious3.gif]   [smiley=furious3.gif]

[Melena]

I have been following the fires down there too, Aussie.  It is horrifying.  I've been wanting to get on here to check in with you, but I've been having computer troubles and finally got back on here.

I've been near fires, but not near enough to have to leave my home.  My Dad used to fight fires in Southern Cal when he was young and later in Northern Cal when I was a kid; I've heard lots of stories while growing up.  And then there were all those fires here in California at the beginning of last summer, some of which were deliberately set and many set by lightening.  There was smoke all up and down the whole state of California then.  I can imagine that the fires down under are at least as bad, and probably worse.  But the loss of life is much worse there..........that is the worst part of all.   [smiley=cry.gif]  I guess this is the only way I can deal with it is to try to compare it to what I've seen.  

Dee, I'm with you!  I don't know how anyone could deliberately set fires.   They really don't know what they are doing.  

I'm listening to the radio now.   I don't hear anything good.  Whole towns destroyed.    [smiley=cry.gif]  My heart is with you all down there.  I'm so glad you aren't near it Aussie.  Take care.

[nhmaf]

Yes, we'll be thinking of all our friends 'down under' and praying that all your families will be safe from the terrible losses caused by these fires.
Hopefully the drought comes to a gradual end and not with torrential rains - with all the loss of vegetation, too much rain at once will next cause mudslides and severe erosion. :-/

[aussie]

181 now confirmed dead.

Melbourne is about 700km away and I can smell smoke. I have to assume that it is from the fires - the breeze is coming from the east.

It is absolutely appalling and I just can't get my mind around the utter devastation and loss of life.

Apparently houses exploded apart rather than 'simply burnt'.

The main loss of life was from people who were staying to defend their properties and were then shocked into leaving at the last moment when they saw the intensity of the fire. Whole towns have been raised to the ground.

I can talk about motives behind some of the arson, but I think reality says that there are probably more reasons they anyone can point a stick at. Who knows - but I certainly wouldn't like to be one and placed in jail - I don't think you would fair very well.

The link shows a map of the fires. Some of the most beautiful country in Australia has been destroyed. Daylesford to the north of Ballarat was simply gorgeous.

http://mapvisage.appspot.com/fires/FireMap.html

Pictures:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow_ajax.aspx?sectionid=9016&sectionname=slideshowajax&subsectionid=150966&subsectionname=bigfires

Thank you for all your thoughts. Australians have already donated $28m to the disaster relief fund - but it can't bring to life those who died. I hate to think of the cost of insurance payouts to the hundreds of houses burnt.

[Danie]

We have been following the fires on Tv news as well. It is really sad to  hear about so many people who lost their lives  under such horrible conditions.

Condolances to all down under.

[msbuck]

I've been following the fires down under on the news as well.  It's hard enough to read all the horror stories....simply unbelievable.  
Thoughts and prayers to all you Aussies!  

[DeeG]

Apparently houses exploded apart rather than 'simply burnt'.

That I can understand. About 4 years ago, there was a wildfire in our neighborhood that burned for about 2 weeks. On day 9, it crested the hills across the river from us.  For six hours, I watched as the winds blew embers across 17 miles of hillside.  And the fire was hot enough that when it caught a pine tree, the tree would be engulfed in about 3 seconds and then BOOM!!!, it would explode.  

Scary enough being a mile away from it, I cannot imagine being anywhere with 10 miles of those fires in OZ.