Hell rolls through Victoria (bush fire r)

LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
edited February 2009 in Strut Central
"AUSTRALIA has witnessed its greatest natural disaster. Worse than Black Friday. Worse than Ash Wednesday. Only in wartime has the toll of dead and wounded been greater.Last night the official death toll was 84, with at least 750 homes destroyed - 550 of those in Kinglake, north of Melbourne, and surrounding areas. And much worse is still to come. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said: "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."I fear in the days ahead that the news is going to be bad and, I believe, the nation needs to prepare itself as full facts become known," he said.The towns of Kinglake and Marysville have been wiped out as if they had been bombed, and -authorities are treating the disaster like a terrorist attack, with almost 312,000 hectares of land affected.The fires raged on last night. People in Yackandandah were bracing to resist a fire moving towards them at 9pm. Altogether 83 fires were still burning last night.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"This is just the start of it, they are going back and finding more bodies. This is f*cking tragic... The North floods while the South burns.
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  Comments


  • PunditPundit 438 Posts
    That shit is really horrible. my thoughts go out to everyone caught up in that mess. I saw an interview with a guy last night who went to help a mate, while he was gone his wife and child were burnt to death and his house destroyed. Whole towns completely wiped out. Death toll is currently 108 and rising. I can't even possibly imagine what it must be like. Absolute tragedy.

  • the_dLthe_dL 1,531 Posts
    we just sent some money to
    http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

    the death toll is now well over 100 and expected to get quite a bit higher, my thoughts go to the familys that have lost not only everything they had owned but complete family lines being wiped out

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    25 years is paltry for anyone guilty of aiding and abetting this tragedy.

    Stay strong Melbourne and Aussie.

  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    I just read that some low life cunts where re lighting fires that had been put out.... The grubs deserve to be hanged from a gumtree and lit up.

    You seriously got to be really fucked up in the head to grow up in Australia and be reckless and careless enough to light a bushfire...

  • Is totally ef-ed up!! Was working on saturday night and as they started reporting on it everyone (customers&workers) were glued to the tv!! We had a couple who had just ordered their food who had friends and fam in the area, who had to up and leave!!
    Is so heart wrenching!!
    It got to 47/116.6 degrees but the wind was crazy- it literally felt like a fan forced oven!! They said they were fire balls ripping through the houses and cars!! Our hospitals and burn units are filling up and they said alot of the people admitted are not expected to survive!!
    Those sick ef-in arsonists need some ef-ing harsh shit dealt!!
    last year two of our massive arsonists were part of the cfa (country fire authority)!! is totally fucked!!!

  • PunditPundit 438 Posts
    latest reports expect death toll to reach 230. that's over double the official toll. that's f*cking crazy.

















  • we just sent some money to
    http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

    the death toll is now well over 100 and expected to get quite a bit higher, my thoughts go to the familys that have lost not only everything they had owned but complete family lines being wiped out

    noice work dl

    probably wouldn't have donated through red cross if i hadn't have seen this!! so thanks!!

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Any idea what motivated these idiots??

    Stay safe.

  • PunditPundit 438 Posts
    it's been the hottest summer in history in the southern states last few weeks, bushfires were inevitable but the size and speed of these ones are off the chain. there's photos of cars that are burnt out from people trying to outrun the fire and getting swept up. Who knows what goes through the mind of an arsonist or rapist or whatever. if half the state is on fire i guess they figure they can start a fire and get away with it. this has officially overtaken the bali bombing as Australia's biggest loss of life outside of wartime. f*cking wild shit.


    Ironically this is a town called Ingham in the far north of Queensland atm



  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    It's crazy man... floods in QLD and fires in VIC.

    Now I'm just waiting to see what happens in NSW. Worst I had to worry about was traffic lights blacked out in Newtown/Erskenville on the weekend because of people pumping their aircon.

  • They think it's going to take a couple weeks at the least to identify the badly burnt bodies!!
    The pics of the charred cars on the roads trying to flee are heartbreaking!!
    Apparently there was a whole car load of people trying to escape where everyone but one was killed when the car was engulfed by flames. I couldn't even fathom being the survivor in that situation!! :-(

    they also say at least 750homes have been destroyed so far!!

  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    I stopped reading media reports cause the shit was too much. Reading about mums dying with their kids in cars, a pregant woman found dead, a father putting his kids in the car only for it to get engulfed in flames... floods your heart with sorrow and the reality of how unjust life really is

    Its going to be a dark and depressing week...

  • How did it start?

  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    I'm just watching the report on the news now. Heartbreaking. I just can't believe it. What a tragedy.

  • How did it start?

    majority were started by arsonists!!
    Rudd just dubbed it mass murder!! they're starting a task force to find the ef-er's!! The most disgraceful thing is that after someone started some and the firefighters got them under control, someone started them up again!! The sick bastards should get the highest punishment possible- f*@k 25years!!!!!!

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    Woman calls in to talkback radio from a house about to be engulfed by flames:

    http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=45927&category=National%20News


    This is absolutely unbelievable, Thinking about you Australia.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    I just checked and in 1 hour the toll went from 135 to 156.

    This is so so bad.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    171 and counting...

    Horrific. I just watched some of the videos of survivors and this is just so awful.

  • djsheepdjsheep 3,620 Posts
    How did it start?

    arson, fucked up shit...

    R.I.P. to everyone, really sad news for small towns like that who have such a great little community life.... I will be making a donation tomorrow....

    peace.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    It just keeps getting worse.

  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    Been watching this on the news the last couple of days. Heartbreaking.
    The whole pyromaniac aspect has me at loss for words. What is wrong with people?

    Stay safe.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    The whole pyromaniac aspect has me at loss for words. What is wrong with people?


    BBC news said last night that these people are known as 'firebugs'.

    Don't know how true this is, but seriously, Aussie needs to dead this word; it's way too friendly, knockabout and cartoonish.

    How about making a point in future of calling them what they are?
    Mass murderers.

  • phatmoneysackphatmoneysack Melbourne 1,124 Posts
    At least three of my friends and work colleagues know people who are dead or missing.

    I work for the Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment , and a lot of my colleagues are on call fighting the fires or supporting the response at the moment, so a lot of this hits close to home.

    People all over the state are affected one way or another. For example, my housemate's brother and his wife were trapped at a winery for two days. With the help of 120 wedding guests (what a terrible day to get married?!?) they were able to defend the property from the fires on saturday night. Thank christ!

    So many livelyhoods, so much history and so much natural beauty has been lost.

    This is hugely depressing stuff for me, and I can't even comprehend the pain that those who experienced the fires in person must be feeling.

  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,789 Posts
    The whole pyromaniac aspect has me at loss for words. What is wrong with people?


    BBC news said last night that these people are known as 'firebugs'.

    Don't know how true this is, but seriously, Aussie needs to dead this word; it's way too friendly, knockabout and cartoonish.

    How about making a point in future of calling them what they are?
    Mass murderers.


    (off-topic, but I feel the same way about 'road-rage'; somebody tries to run somebody off the road - that's attempted murder, somebody gets out of their car and hits somebody else over poor driving - that's assault. The phrase "Road-Rage" is an excuse for inexcusable lack of self-control. End of).

    On-topic: yeah, arson in Oz needs a stiffer penalty when the dangers are so high.

  • Yeah, i have a feeling they will be doing that from now on!!
    i just cant believe there were over 400 fires (20 odd still burning)!! they still suspect that there were a NUMBER of arsonists!!
    I just cant get the idea of raining fire out of my head!!
    it was so unbelievably hot as it was without the fire on saturday, i just can't imagine!!
    They said at kinglake (worst hit so far) that the residents were originally safe from harm but the winds were so full on that day that within 5miniutes they changed direction and engulfed the whole town!! In the past in had been considered safe to stay and defend ones property- but not in our weather conditions!!


    It's pretty amazing to see how everyone is banding together tho!! A lot of money has already been donated, with hopefully a lot more to come!!

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    At least three of my friends and work colleagues know people who are dead or missing.

    I work for the Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment , and a lot of my colleagues are on call fighting the fires or supporting the response at the moment, so a lot of this hits close to home.

    People all over the state are affected one way or another. For example, my housemate's brother and his wife were trapped at a winery for two days. With the help of 120 wedding guests (what a terrible day to get married?!?) they were able to defend the property from the fires on saturday night. Thank christ!

    So many livelyhoods, so much history and so much natural beauty has been lost.

    This is hugely depressing stuff for me, and I can't even comprehend the pain that those who experienced the fires in person must be feeling.

    Damn dude, just damn. It is really hard to come up with words to describe this: the images are so sickening.

    It must be hard to keep focused on your work and detach your emotions, but know that you are making a difference and contributing to people that need a lot of help right now.

  • Wowzer!! They just arrested someone this morning for one of the fires (I think Churchill)!! Haven't heard anymore yet- but apparently they are closing in on a few others!!

    Pretty crazy, we also had 2 fires deliberately lit closer to Melbourne yesterday and a CFA (firefighter) member of 10years who had been fighting the fires since sat was found dead in his burnt down house in the burbs that was also supposed to be deliberately started!!
    WTF!!

  • phatmoneysackphatmoneysack Melbourne 1,124 Posts
    Yeah - the public is going to want to burn this guy alive.

    I'm not for vigilante justice though. I can't imagine the anger and backlash when this guy gets named.

  • Woman calls in to talkback radio from a house about to be engulfed by flames:

    http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=45927&category=National%20News


    This is absolutely unbelievable, Thinking about you Australia.

    Jesus, that was hard to listen to. Brought tears to my eyes. Just put money through to red cross for their campaign.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts


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