Australian bush fires 'kill 14'

by Amitjha | February 7, 2009 at 04:08 am

805 views | 28 Recommendations | 12 comments

The Bush fire in south-eastern Australia have killed 14 people , and the fire is spreadind in easter direction. The fire fightrs are struggling hard to control it due to high temperature and wind.

Bush fires sweeping across south-eastern Australia have killed 14 people, media reports say.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the deaths had occurred at four towns in Victoria state.

Firefighters are battling dozens of fires in parks and bush land, amid a heatwave, with temperatures set to reach 47 C (117F) this weekend.

Aircraft are dropping water bombs and thousands of volunteer firemen are on standby.

If winds pick up, the authorities fear that the fire could spread.

The worst fire has burned 410 acres in a park near Melbourne. There are also three fires in the Hunter Valley region to the north of Sydney.

Fire officials have advised residents to stay and defend their properties. "We would always stay and defend," Di Kinross told local media, the nearby area covered in thick smoke.

Fightback

The fire service is using water-bombing aircraft to contain fires. Already thousands of volunteers are using water hoses, with tens of thousands more on standby.

"It's just going to be, probably by a long way, the worst day ever in the history of the state in terms of temperatures and winds," Victoria Premier John Brumby said.

If winds pick up, the authorities fear that the fires could spread.

"It is extremely dry. We do have some concern about the winds winds picking up and having an impact on the fire," a spokesman for Victoria state's Country Fire Authority told Reuters.

In 1983, a wildfire killed 75 people, on a day known as Ash Wednesday.

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Jordan Yerman

at 09:03 on February 7th, 2009

The death toll is expected to rise, since firefighters cannot access all of the affected homes, and residents could still be trapped.

The fires are encroaching upon the outskirts of Melbourne.

Fueled by high winds and hot temperatures, brushfires have broken out in rural areas of New South Wales as well, with the wind blowing smoke toward Sydney.

Victoria state police spokesman Wayne Wilson said the bodies were recovered in four separate locations. None of the victims have yet been identified.

The fires "took off" in the area on Saturday and are still raging, Wilson said, adding that the death toll could rise.

Police, who last night could only begin going into the blackened ruins of towns and communities, said six people were killed in a single vehicle in Kinglake.

But they acknowledged they had little idea of how many could be buried inside their ruined homes, or burned as they tried to escape, and that the death toll could go much higher.

Police suspect some fires were deliberately lit.

Amy Judd

at 14:24 on February 7th, 2009

How awful

158

at 14:35 on February 7th, 2009

A real tragedy.

Caleesto

at 16:35 on February 7th, 2009

The death toll is 26 now and I know a friend who lost her house, property and gypsy cob stallion to the fires and heard of another lady who watched 25 of her stud mares burn to death. Another guy saw hundreds of his cattle perish and there is nothing that can be done as the fires went through like a locomotive and as I am typing right now it is heaving with rain outside. I am lucky here but at work we have had a few evacuee's bring their horses for refuge from the Bunyip fire as that fire is not too far away although it is thankfully burning in the opposite direction.

Then Marysville has had 90% of it's town burn to the ground but thankfully no deaths from there and Alexander has had about 80% of the town burn.

Amy Judd

at 16:35 on February 7th, 2009

Oh that is just awful. The animals are worse off because they can't get out in time and like you say here, often die. How terrible and sad.

Amy Judd

at 16:37 on February 7th, 2009

Troops are now being sent to Australia to help fight the fires - which some news reports are saying have killed 70 people.

State leader says troops will be deployed to help fight Australian wildfires which killed up to 70 people.

Caleesto

at 17:21 on February 7th, 2009

Not 70 people yet although it could be once the fires are gone and they are able to get into the burnt homes to look for bodies. It is confirmed 26 but could rise to 40 or more. Hopefully it does not reach 70, hopefully it does not even reach 40. The conditions yesterday though were absolutely horrid, it reached 46.4 degrees, the hottest temp recorded in melbourne since records began and the hot wind was like a gale and they had stated the conditions were much worse than those during the Ash Wednesday fires. I was working in the afternoon yesterday during the horrible heat and the whole area had thick clouds of smoke hovering from the Bunyip fire. Then when I got home we had the smoke clouds from a fire in Cranbourne North which I believe burnt 6 houses, it was only small thankfully though. It had me worried though as my mare is at the Cranbourne Equine Hospital at present and you could see the fire from there although thankfully the wind had it blowing in a different direction so all was safe.

I think we are going to find out that probably 90% will have been delibirately lit and one good thing about Victoria that other Australian states dont have is that arsonists can be jailed for up to 25 years for starting fires. I think murder should be added and quite a lot of people think it should come under acts of terrorism as well.

It has also been conrifmed that some fires are being relit by arsonists.

Amy Judd

at 17:25 on February 7th, 2009

Thanks for this update from there. The fact that some fires have been started deliberately is just disgraceful.

Caleesto

at 17:37 on February 7th, 2009

The death toll has just officially risen to 35 a majority of the dead were found in Kinglake and Kinglake North.

Amy Judd

at 17:44 on February 7th, 2009

Oh, I just posted one about 25 people, so I will change that, thanks.

Amitjha

at 21:44 on February 8th, 2009

Thanks all of the member for updating the news, thats the real power of neo journalism.

Ian Johnston (not verified)

at 22:31 on February 9th, 2009

Feb. 10th.2009: While earlier today, around noon AEST, most areas where the worst fires have been raging sinse last Saturday and those that began a week earlier around Mirboo North in the Strezlecki Ranges of Gippsland, had their danger ratings lowered due to lowering temperatures across the state that came through from the west over last Saturday night, some warnings are being renewed due to freshening wind changes. This is being applied to fires to the west of the Bunyip State Park burn where areas near Gembrook are being threatened by ember attack. Also on fresh alerts are areas north of the state near Beechworth area. Thunderstorms that accompanied the cooler change has, in some regions unfortunately brought lightning strikes to new areas such as Wilson's Promitory near Tidal River on the state's most southern coastline. The death toll is still rising as assessments of damage continue in the aftermath of the country's worst natural disaster. Currently the figure quoted is 173 dead and over 750 homes destroyed, making thousands homeless.