@ baggygreen Being from Southern California I know only too well how quick they can start and, how fast these fires can move.

My heart goes out to all the victims and survivors.

Aye, when the flames of the natural wildfires are being put out, the political wildfire has just caught. :nope:

Looks like Victorian Police have got a suspect for the churchill fire http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...rom=public_rss ,That's the one that's threatening the sister in law's place so the family's got a vested interest in watching any news from there.

Well said. :yep:

IT just takes a wind shift and places that weren't under threat become the front line within minutes.

For those that wish to be of some assistance: http://www.smh.com.au/national/how-t...0209-82g4.html

Very few people have bunkers and nor are there many houses with cellars. I heard of one story today where a family whose home was wiped out survived because they had a fire bunker to retreat to when the fight to defend their property was lost.

One of the big things being questioned is the policy of allowing people the option of staying and defending or leaving. One thing a lot of people get caught by is the psychological strain of fire defense. Many of the injuries and deaths were caused by last minute decisions to give up their defense and then being caught in the firestorm as they have no safe route to retreat.

Mandating fire cellars in these districts might have saved many of the lives lost this weekend.

Well the death toll is predicted to rise well over 200 now the state govenment is saying.

The police have caught 2 youths who started 1 of the fires in Narre Warren (South Eastern Melbourne) which destroyed 6 homes in 1 street, the 2 youths claim they started it because Narre Warren and Hampten Park (neighbouring area) both suck.:nope:

Some of the photos that we are seeing on the news and in the papers here are astounding with the amount of damage they show and the vast areas that the fires have burned.

Steve

Yep. :yep: Back in 2002 the fires went past us and we thought we had got away with it. However the winds changed direction and the fire then came back up the road and the gully and we had the most intense few hours of our lives defending our property.

You know the worst thing for me with the bushfires was the waiting. Day after day we were told it was coming and it just seemed to drag on and on. Then all of a sudden when we didn't expect it we were told it was an hour away if that. I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone except for those criminal fire bugs who start the darned bushfires in the first place. :damn:

I am sorry to hear of the fires down under my brothers and sorry for the loss of life...Australia you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Thks Kiwi for some of the explanattions of how and why a fire out back there can spread like that....as was pointed out by Firewall we here in AZ and California know first hand how dry wind and fire destroys.

Again my thoughts and prayers.

Now they are saying the fires were not arson :doh:

Only in some of the fires , including Kingslake and thats only that its 'Unlikely" they were arson http://www.theage.com.au/national/ar...0211-84sz.html

Problem they got is the fires were so intense and wide spread its going to be very hard to workout Where they started ,let alone How they started:cry: