quasi Report This Comment
Date: February 08, 2009 02:44PM

Beautiful pic but what a shame; could've done without it under the circumstances. I'm afraid we're going to have a very bad fire season in this part of the world over the next few months. We're in our dry season and have had a couple of frosts which killed a lot of vegetation that is now waiting for something (or someone) to set it off. We've never had many deaths from our fires, though. What happened and how did those fires start? We had a pyromaniac around here several years ago who caused a lot of problems for a couple of years. To my knowledge the person was never caught but he eventually stopped.

pulse Report This Comment
Date: February 08, 2009 09:21PM

Death toll reached 108 overnight.

[www.theage.com.au]

The towns of Marysville and Kinglake have all but been removed from the map.

Here in Victoria at the moment there's something in the region of 18 fires burning. In New South Wales, there's over 50, the vast majority of both are believed to have been deliberately lit, however the areas are also susceptible to lightning strikes.

In Victoria, we have had basically no rain for the past couple of years, followed up with a few incredibly hot weeks (reaching 47 degrees (117F) on Saturday).. and we've had a couple of pretty mild fire seasons for the last few years, so none of the fuel has been burning.. so yeah its all just lit up.

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: February 08, 2009 11:50PM

what kind of govt. disaster relief is available in Aussieland?

pulse Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 12:18AM

Don't really know, there's a lot of cash donating going on at the moment, and the PM has said the military will be available to help, but at the moment all the fires are still raging out of control so relief isn't really on the cards yet, they're more concerned about stopping it.

ORLANDO399 Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 12:19AM

Whatta shame,sorry to hear the bad news.We had the same thing down here in florida in the mid 90s;(

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 12:22AM

we need to send some fire fighting planes in immediately! someone call Barry

quasi Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 12:27AM

Saw some news coverage a little while ago. People are being trapped and burned in their cars while trying to get away. Horrible.

Dave Smith Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 09:28AM

Sad part is a few people burnt in the cars were just driving around looking at the carnage.

Several off them had driven from other parts of the state to 'look at the fires'

Most of those killed in cars crashed first in the think smoke either into other cars or fallen trees

woberto Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 09:32AM

If this was a deliberate act then it's not much different from 911. Can we declare war on all the mentally ill criminals?
However natural disaster or not it should be put in perspective,
80,000 died in Pakistan's last big earthquake and another 80,000 died in China just before the Olympics.
But they only make one or two newsreels then are forgotten.
The media have already made me feel indifferent towards the survivors, as they descend like vultures on the rural towns.

jgoins Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 01:15PM

Just have everyone go into the outback, the fire will stop at the ocean, no problem.

quasi Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 02:06PM

"Sad part is a few people burnt in the cars were just driving around looking at the carnage.

Several off them had driven from other parts of the state to 'look at the fires'"


After we were ravaged by hurricane Charley in 2004 I saw a lot of sightseers driving about, watching us pick up the mess. I never wished any of them dead but I was tempted to just start throwing some of the debris at them.

GAK67 Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 02:35PM

berto - agree with your comments about the media and perspective. Got to disagree with you over the comparison to 911. If these fires are the result of arson it is mass murder, but not terrorism - there is no political message here.

Despite the perspective comment earlier, my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, and also to those who have lost homes.

Would also like to wish those fighting the fires safety, success and good fortune with the weather.

GAK67 Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 02:41PM

jgoins - yeah that'll work, cos everybody knows that air flow in Australia is from the centre out to the coast!

Have some compassion!

fossil_digger Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 07:18PM

i sent Barry an e-mail.

woberto Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 09:28PM

Yes my comparison was crap.
We hear about bushfires in California but not much else, sorry Florida, Aussie TV doesn't think you are important enough. However hurricanes are a big news item over here, so we might have even see quasi on the new in the last few years.
The death toll over here is making me feel rather ill.
I am not too sure you want to "survive" the fires as the hospital burns units are full of horror.

Darrell Hudson Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 10:59PM

What annoys me is people are stuck in the emergency areas not allowed to go back to their properties to sift through and salvage what they can because it is too dangerous but every news channel has reporters walking around these properties.

quasi Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 11:02PM

Reporters are expendable.

pulse Report This Comment
Date: February 09, 2009 11:41PM

Basically. It'd make a great news item if something happened to one of them. Brian Naylor had retired 10 years ago but still graces every news item.

That said, it is a shocking loss to all concerned. Death toll has passed 177 now, it'll easily break 200, which is quite incredible. A friend of mine works at the Alfred burns unit, and the description of it all is horrific.

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Mrkim Report This Comment
Date: February 10, 2009 03:10AM

My heart goes out to all you cats down at the other end of the planet. Though it gets plenty hot here, for some reason we've never experienced this type of disaster, and thankfully so.

jgoins Report This Comment
Date: February 10, 2009 11:48AM

I have compassion for those who lost their lives because they could not escape their homes but I have no compassion for any who lost their lives rubbernecking the damage when they didn't belong there. After 9/11 plenty of people came around saying we deserved it and showed no compassion for any who lost their lives so I have no compassion for others any longer.