Libby Hobday

This is so sad, but I feel I should write about it as for me it is so close to home.

I grew up in a little tiny town just out of Melbourne called Bunyip in the state of Victoria. The last few days due to the extreme heat (up to 117 degrees in some parts), being a very hot summer, low humidity, 60 mile winds, being on high water restrictions and going through one of the worst droughts in the country’s history many bush fires are burning my State to the ground.

The worst fire burning in The Bunyip State Forest is still raging 5 kilometres/3 miles from my home, thankfully though the wind is in the other direction.

The death toll is at 181 as I write this, and the number is rising at speed.

CFA Search and rescue are finding burnt bodies on the sides of roads as well as children huddled together in houses simmering still from being burnt alive. The smell of smoke abounds all around.
It is the Australian way to stand by, in times like these, and do your best to defend your property in the hope that it is not burnt to the ground.There are stories of familes being burnt in cars while their parents tried to drive to safety, people watching their animals being burnt alive in front of them, dogs who escaped returning to where their houses once stood waiting for their families to come home (but they are not coming home),  scenes of 15 metre high flames and fire balls, houses exploding, and communities totally wiped out in a matter of minutes.

This is one of the worst natural disasters tragedies has ever fallen upon us. I write “natural disaster” as a lot of the fires did and do happen naturally in Australia. This is normal and happens every few years, usually though we are able to contain them quite quickly.

However, almost half of Victoria may be declared a crime scene, with arsonists believed responsible for several of the fires. Police said an offender implicated in the fatal fires could be charged with the offence of arson causing death, a crime with a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail.  In affect this is being classified as a MASS MURDER.

Over 750 houses have been burnt to the ground and the 30,000 + firemen, as well as The Army, continue to fight the 24 active fires.

“Hell in all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours, and many good people now lie dead; many others lie injured”, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told local media.

Donations can be made at this link - the Redcross.

Over 10 Metre High Flames.

The moonlight through the smoke.

One of the Heroes of The Day.

Smoke that can be seen from satelites.

All that is left in one town.

A photo says a thousand words.