FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/...nt_summary.htm

Its been a full on day with over a 1000 fires reported and our hottest temp ever recorded

We also evacuated our home after filling the gutters with water and grabbing the kids, dogs, passports and insurance docs There were full on flames at the end of our street and we watched on from the veranda of the new house OMFGG!!! We were watching Elvis (the water bomber) drop over the tree line...when I worked out that it was actually Harkaway and would have ben heading to the reserve (behind our house) tears sprang to my eyes. It was scary and devastating but is under control now. Our neighbour told us that Elvis hovered over our pool, to fill up, but he couldn't get low enough (Matt had uncovered it for that reason) There are still trees burning but crews are watching closely. You still can't get into the village (unless through the fire track known to locals ) and the air is acrid. Everything is covered in ash and I can hear the spotters flying over. A fire truck just came into the reserve but pulled off again and the sky is clear. HOWEVER the wind is getting up quite strong again!...I don't think sleep will be deep tonight...

Urgent Threat to Alert Crawley Road Fire, Harkaway
Urgent Threat to Alert
07/02/2009


Incident Information

A grass and scrub fire is burning in Crawley Road, Harkaway. (Melways Map reference 109 D10). It is estimated to be 80 hectares in size. The residents of Harkaway, Narre Warren North and Beaconsfield Upper are no longer under direct threat from this fire, but still need to remain alert due to a high level of fire activity still in the area.

Core Advice

People in the area need to remain alert as there may not be a warning should conditions change unexpectedly. Continue to listen to ABC or local radio for updates on this fire.
Keep patrolling for embers around your property.
Be aware of residual burning after the main fire front has passed - remember logs and trees may continue to burn or smoulder for a number of days.
Watch out for hazards when walking around burnt areas. There may be sharp objects and areas that are still very hot and capable of causing serious burns.
Road use in the area will still be extremely hazardous due to low visibility from smoke. Watch out for fallen trees, power lines, abandoned cars, wildlife and emergency services vehicles.
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Additional Information

Tourists are advised to stay away from the following areas: Harkaway/Narre Warren North Area
Information on any road closures in this area is available on the VicRoads Web site at http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/


Resources committed to this fire are: 150 personnel

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Crazy, isn't it? You guys are on fire, and we're under water.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Oops. Sorry Hevs. We must have posted the same subject thread at the same time.

I am horrified. :(

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

14 confirmed dead so far

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Just seen it on the news. Awful :(

Stay safe everyone.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

omg that is awful :(

thoughts and prayers for all those caught up it in.

Ellie x

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Glad things seem to be under control Hevs. How very, very scary. We spent the day in our neighbour's pool and his friend is a CFA volunteer and was called out just after lunch. He told us Harkaway residents had been evacuated.

We had a couple of fires fairly close to us during our first summer here and you do feel extremely powerless. Fingers crossed that the cool change will bring some rain - we just had a 2 second downpour... strange.

Keep safe.

Rachel

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

:eek:Channel 7 now!

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Effing hell Hevs, thats terrible. Hope you guys are doing OK.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

I pray to god it rains because i cant see how they can put out a fire front 20km long!!

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

I knew it was really serious when I was on hold to triple 0 for 15 mins and NO ONE ANSWERED!!:eek:

We never did get through and no fire engines arrived for nearly an hour. (That said they were dealing with so much!) There are fire trucks at the end of the street with the burny trees and the chopper has just been over again...I'm so tired, but scared to sleep :eek:

This started with someone using an angle grinder on their gates :rolleyes:

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Just watched the 7 news special mate, hope you guys all stay safe.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

My thoughts are with everyone near to or in the middle of the bushfires in Vic tonight. Stay safe!

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Too right, stay safe all of you, whether you are civilians or Firies. I can't even begin to imagine how scary it must be.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Does anyone know if Badge is out there?

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

He posted earlier and he said something about being on the night watch. I'll see if I can find the post hang on :)

Here you go http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...6&postcount=47

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Thanks Wendy. Hope he is ok

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Me too. I think Martin Luther is out there with him, so my thoughts with him too.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

They were smart :rolleyes: Apart from anything else, why would you do something that hot and sweaty when the temps are over 40 :eek:

Stay safe hon, hope the house is ok and you get some rain :wub:

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Its been a full on day with over a 1000 fires reported and our hottest temp ever recorded

Hi Hevs (and everyone else affected) hope you are safe and well. If we can do anything to help please just shout x

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Bollocks to it all. I was ready to volunteer for the night shift when a mate turned up to the station. Whilst I was talking to him, the allocation of crew was made inside and I missed out - having said that they were picking people who have not yet gone out to day and I've been out already. Some of the new blood are still in school - 2 are barely 16.

I did chat to the returning crew and they were very excited - they saw a few houses in Narre Warren North go up in flames - one just caught in seconds.

Hevs - I was thinking of you and L. Initially, I thought it would head from your joint across the valley to my joint then thought you guys might be a fraction south for the fire as I thought it was more north, and now it seems to be heading NE. I am looking over to the NW and can't see anything.

Unless you are directly impacted it's hard to know. I read the above alert and wasn't sure how seriously to take it.

Everyone has gone home apart from that one crew out there and I am listening out on the local channel - at the station - it's very quiet. My family have activated their plan and are down in the burbs and I don't want to go home. (We don't have a stay and defend policy because I can't be guaranteed to be there). I'm going to go for a drive and have a look.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

That crew were back quite quick - the Narrre Warren N/Harkaway fires were under control by 2.30am and crews were returning.

I found Harkaway closed from the south and I couldn't see fire damage.

Just been out to a false alarm in area. Just got back 0330am.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

I have been keeping up with the news of the bush fires via the internet,and am feeling pretty sad today!My ex husband is a CFS volunteer and when we were married often got called out (we were in SA)to attend bush fires.Thoughts are will you all,and not forgetting of course the Queenslanders who are dealing with horrific floods.Will say a prayer for you all tonight (I'm in the UK)xxxxx

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Death toll now 25. One poor poor family of 6 died in their car trying to escape. I feel sick to the stomach, especially as they have just said a guy in his 30s has been arrested for deliberately setting one of the fires. :(

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

The scale of this is enormous, I guess it would be hard for many to comprehend, especially if you havent experienced those temps/winds/low humidity, frankly like a blowtorch.

NSW is now facing a similar danger:(.

Day of horror the Age is calling it. ( I have to admit I could never live in bushland in Victoria, it would scare the hell out of me. )

http://www.news.com.au/gallery/0,236...006020,00.html

Many of those pics are areas we camped in and around in December ( temps were not in the 40's then) but you could see the potential danger.

Hope everyone is OK and same for the far north of the Country where they have received up to 350 mm of rain a day:blink: for a month.

This is one nasty climate.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Sky news last night said many of them were man made fires:curse:, having lived down there, seen the terrain, felt those temps, I think these people know bloody well they are playing with potential Murder.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Yes, I agree. We have spent a lot of time driving around those areas plus in and around NSW. But what the hell can you do about these nutters? Not much you can do to prevent it.

But what amazes me even more is just how many of these arsonists there are out there!! It's not as if they are isolated incidences. These fires are lit every single year! So there must be plenty of warped minds in Australia to have it happen so often.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

B*st*rds whoever they are. I did once see a horrific suggestion that anyone with a "Terrorist" inclination could take the easy option to terrify Australians just by lighting a few fires. So in some ways I hope that this lot are just warped minded b*st*rds and not the others with a much more systematic intent.

Our local cops do round up a few known firebugs when it gets to total fireban days but you never know until they go out there and do it. I think it makes recovery harder if you know it was arson rather than a lightning strike but what the hell was that bloke with an angle grinder thinking? Was he thinking at all? Tw*t!

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Unfortunately, what is happening now in Victoria is the very serious downside to Australia's 'sunny outdoor lifestyle' - something a lot of Brits who say they would gladly swap the snow for the heat don't realise!!!
Unfortunately, part of this lifestyle involves nutters starting fires knowing full well what the consequences of their actions must be.
Makes me so angry:curse:. We have to catch these people then find a way to make them suffer for their actions...(easier said than done sometimes)

To all those affected or at risk - please stay safe!!!!

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Hope everyone is ok.

our whole village is cordoned off still not allowed in. I drove out along the back road and theres fires still burning, houses are gone, fence posts and trees are still burning....its a bit freaky to say the least!
I can't get to my son who is at friends at Narre East, (Boundry rd) but they say they are safe....

My cousin picked her kids up from Healsville yesterday morning, thank God! Her X hid in the cellar as the fire came through. When he came out he had no house or car!

BADGE The bit between Welly Rd and Harkaway is black and trees, fences, bales etc are still on fire. A fire engine just hammered past! We can't get in to Harkaway and now there thunder and lightning directly overhead! NO RAIN! We can use the fire track if we need to! But not ideal for the move we were supposed to be doing today!
L is down in Berwick and is fine. Over the hill to Narre North is also black and thats where they lost properties. 2 on Hallieur Rd and one on King. We don't stay to defend either. Its not worth it with kids here and hubby working across a major fire risk aras (Lysterfield/ FTG)

Apparently Marysville has been lost...

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Gee - I figured the burnt bits were the bits I couldn't see...

The fire we worked on at midday (morning crew I was on) looks like it picked up again. Alot of ground there was short grass - not much of a fuel load there infact. Obviously it got into the woodier bits or a seperate fire came down from further North. The one we went to originated near Crawley Road, Narre Warren N. Much later when the afternoon crew were out, I heard a friend of the family who was a sector commander saying he was under ember attack at the corner of Abeckett and Berwick Road. That was at 3pm and that's when I realised you guys - and then us - were at risk. What pisses me off is that we had no comms or feedback from anyone or our afternoon crew.

Best of luck. Glad to hear that L is down in Berwick probably having a 'big breakfast' :p as we speak.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Just seen the overhead footage of Marysville on ABC website - devastating - I have a long history with that township :(

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

When I heard the presenter on the TV mention Marysville was "wiped out" I assumed I had misheard. I have just seen that overhead footage now and am finding it hard to believe although the pictures are right in front of my eyes.
They estimate 90 -95% of the houses are simply gone.
That is a township with a population of approx 600 people.

It is only an incredible testament to the evacuation procedures that are in place that they managed to avoid a major loss of life there.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-12377,00.html

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Very sorry to read about such a large loss of life. :(

I obviously don't know the area or the country - but it's hard to gauge the scale of this.

Will these people have had house insurance or is this some kind of uninsurable risk in this area ?

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

glad everyone here is ok
such a sad situation :(

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Depends on the individuals Ann. I hazard a guess that the areas affected would be quite expensive to insure against fire risk.

More dreadful news. 35 now confirmed dead.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

We have friends in Kinglake West, I can't get hold of them at all! I pray to God they're ok!

I've been trying that emergency number for ages but it's understandably busy.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Thanks muchly. I got back in about 1.30am and have been on duty crew (i.e. tidying up the mess) this morning.

We got called to a house fire in the neighbouring town about 1pm. At about 1.30pm we had to pack up quickly and head over to Nar Nar Goon for the Bunyip fire. We spent most of the time fighting the fire on the Princes Freeway and in the small township of Nilma to the east of Warragul. We had only 1 house lost which was a good result considering (although not for the person who lost their house). There were burn marks halfway across people's gardens and along their fence lines.

It amazingly hard to stop these fires. When they're in the forest, you can't go in because the trees will fall on you. When it's in the paddocks you've got manoeverability problems because of fences, gullies etc. And obviously in towns there's so much that needs protecting.

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

This is awful and hard to comprehend why on earth people start these fires.

I cant imagine what it is like to see everything you own burnt to the ground let alone the tragic loss of life in these circumstances.

Hevs and everyone connected with this - stay safe.:(

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

We're all numb, so so sad. Stay safe everyone.