Bushfires kill 40+ in Victoria Australia

[DriDDeRz]

I don't think they will ever find the person who lite the fire or parts of it,
It will be pretty hard to do so, but can only hope justice will be done on the person

 

[Line]

 

[FuManChu]

If the wind changes, the fire should be upon this area by lunch/tea time today...
My mate said he's gonna go looting

 

[El Freako]

The death toll is up to 173 currently. I'm very thankful that I don't have any family or friends in that part of Oz.

 

[tim290280]

:bball:

The death toll from Victoria's bushfires could top 200 as authorities sift through the piles of ash that were once entire communities.

The official toll rose to 131 on Monday.

173 and rising.

Sorry if I lack a bit of sympathy but I'm not the only one that has said that this sort of thing has been just waiting to happen for years now.

After the Canberra fires and the near miss a couple of years back no-one has bothered to enact any of the inquest findings. All so they can live in amongst the trees. Completely pathetic.

 

[DriDDeRz]

I could never stand living in the bush area,
for the fact of something like this happening and so far away from places

Victoria Police on Tuesday confirmed that 173 people have perished in the bushfires across the state.

The death toll from the bushfires is certain to rise further as more remains are found in more than 700 burnt-out homes strewn through the 330,000ha so far razed in Australia's worst bushfire disaster.

Most of the latest people confirmed dead were killed in the small towns of Strathewen and St Andrews, on Melbourne's bushy northeastern fringe.

There are now 22 people confirmed dead at St Andrews, a town with a population of about 1,500 people. Strathewen, with only 450 people prior to the bushfires, lost 26 residents to the inferno that swept through on Saturday.

 

[Zigurd]

I can see a connection here...

BUSHfires ?

 

[DriDDeRz]

 

[DriDDeRz]

Victoria Police on Tuesday confirmed that 181 people have perished in the bushfires across the state.

The death toll from the bushfires is certain to rise further as more remains are found in more than 700 burnt-out homes strewn through the 330,000ha so far razed in Australia's worst bushfire disaster.

 

[tim290280]

Nation should brace for fire toll to top 300
11th February 2009, 7:00 WST
Victorians have been warned to brace for a death toll of more than 300 as dozens of people remain missing across the fire-ravaged state.

A Country Fire Authority spokesman said the official death toll stood at 181, but police overnight admitted they expected the number to "rise steeply".

Since Saturday the fires have destroyed four major towns and dozens of hamlets, razed 922 homes and left 4200 people homeless, the CFA said. More than 350,000ha of land had been devastated.

Police are this morning expected to release an image of a man sought for questioning over the fires.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said the people still missing were "people who the coroner believes are already deceased, but are not yet identified".

A CFA spokesman said increasing southerly winds were a major concern to 23 fires that remained out of control.

Cooler conditions overnight have quelled fire activity at a 40,000-hectare blaze burning south of Traralgon, in Victoria’s east and the CFA reported minimal fire activity overnight at the Churchill-Jeeralang fire, which has claimed at least 21 lives in the area.

Firefighters hope milder weather conditions over the next few days will help their efforts to further extend containment lines.

The Churchill blaze, which authorities believe was deliberately lit, has devastated local communities at Hazelwood, Jeeralang and Callignee, which was hardest hit with about 12 people confirmed dead in the town.

Interstate fire crews and disaster identification experts, many of whom took part in the forensice aftermath of the Bali bombings, have joined Victorian crews to tackle the fires.

Reinforcements included a disaster identification team and 22 firefighters from WA.

Don't know how accurate these figures will end up being. The area affected is about right, but the number of homes has suddenly increased markedly. If this is accurate then 300 may be a low estimate.

For those who missed it go to www.abc.net.au/7.30 and watch the interview with the bushfire expert. The knowledge about what needs to be done has been around since the 1930's and still no-one is doing it properly.

 

[DriDDeRz]

It's unbelievable... the death count is still climbing up and up

 

[Pickle]

http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/02/11/Bushfires_caused_by_abortion_laws_Pastor_claims





fucking religious stupidity

 

[tim290280]

^^ Well in that case I'd better stop killing kittens then

 

[Pickle]

^^ Well in that case I'd better stop killing kittens then

killing kittens is like abortion tim. you should stop now.



pretty crazy bushfires tho. whats the latest status are they under control?

Bushfires in Vic, Floods in Qld, worst snow for 20 years in Britain. Why did that religious tool from before have to pick on just victoria lol.

 

[DriDDeRz]

There are fears the death toll from Victoria's devastating bushfires could soar as high as 300.

Cooler conditions have helped the efforts of fire fighters overnight, but more than 4,000 fire-fighters are still battling 23 blazes.

The number of lives lost stands at 181, but it's feared the toll could pass 300 as police reach more areas.

More than 1,000 properties have been destroyed and more than 400,000 hectares of land has been burnt-out.

Cooler temperatures overnight helped fire-fighters strengthen containment lines around a number of fires, but residents are still being warned to remain vigilant, with southerly winds expected to pick up.

Authorities are also warning conditions could deteriorate in coming days, with more hot temperatures forecast this weekend.

The main fires causing concern for fire authorities across the state include:

- In East Gippsland, there is a large fire burning through crown land and an awareness message has been issued for communities north-west of Dargo.

- The Churchill/Jeeralang blaze is also causing concern and there are alerts for Hazelwood, Jeeralang and Callignee.

- In the Yarra Valley, the Maroondah-Yarra fire is threatening areas around Healesville.

- The Yea Murrindindi fire is still a major concern, and is threatening several communities.

- The main fear of fire-fighters now is the possibility that the Yea Murrindindi fire will meet up with the Maroondah-Yarra fire to create an unmanageable fire front.

The Country Fire Service advises residents in those areas to have a fire plan, and decide early whether to stay and defend your home or evacuate.

 

[DriDDeRz]

Firefighters try to gain the upper hand

Weary firefighters hope cool conditions, new control lines and a little rain will help them gain the upper hand over bushfires still raging.

High temperatures and dry northerly winds are expected in Victoria on Wednesday next week, leaving fire crews with a race against time to stop 21 fires still out of control from causing further carnage.

The death toll is expected to rise well over the 181 confirmed fatalities in Australia's worst bushfire disaster. More than 450,000 hectares of land has been blackened, with 1,033 homes destroyed.

There was good news overnight with firefighters containing two blazes that threatened to merge and threaten Victoria's power supplies, but while firefighters have been successful, the threat to communities remains, with at least 20 fires still burning out of control.

Three thousand firefighters have been out in the field, including reinforcements from New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT.

 

[tim290280]

I'm now annoyed at whomever started this fire and all the selfish arseholes who fueled the fires. This has spanned far more than it should have done and affected those who did everything right.

 

[DriDDeRz]

Yet now people are stealing peoples belongings

 

[tim290280]

^^ Yeh opportunistic scumbags always exist and they come out of the woodwork in times of tragedy. Don't worry those sorts of people always end up being the ones being burned alive, or having building collapse on them, or something equally nasty.

 

[FuManChu]

Conmen are going door to door claiming they are collecting for the "bushfire peoplez"...One guy has been arrested.