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-   -   FIRES! Is everyone ok? (https://britishexpats.com/forum/barbie-92/fires-everyone-ok-589877/)

Pollyana Feb 12th 2009 10:44 pm

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
1 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK (Post 7279810)
Glad your safe.

I'm curious about one particular picture that has been shown in the media.

It shows the Melbourne skyline in the distance (about 5kms at most) and in the foreground there is a completely burnt tree-line on a hill and the article claims that the burn trees are situated in Kinglake West. I thought Kinglake West was much further than 5Km from the CBD?

Would this picture be an accurate picture? Did the fires come this close to the CBD?

This one? From the Herald Sun.

I remember viewing the Melbourne skyline from a hilltop when we were down there once - Hevs took us up in the Dandenongs somewhere to a lookout. I couldn't give you an exact distance but its a good few kms from the CBD,yet it looked as close as this one does.

fraser Feb 12th 2009 10:44 pm

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK (Post 7279810)
Glad your safe.

I'm curious about one particular picture that has been shown in the media.

It shows the Melbourne skyline in the distance (about 5kms at most) and in the foreground there is a completely burnt tree-line on a hill and the article claims that the burn trees are situated in Kinglake West. I thought Kinglake West was much further than 5Km from the CBD?

Would this picture be an accurate picture? Did the fires come this close to the CBD?

Thanks :)

I haven't seen that picture but I'm guessing it's from Ivanhoe where a fire was set by an arsonist yesterday, that is quite near to the city.

I've just seen Poly's picture and I guess at around 60km from the city and the right lense it's possible.

DownUnderPaddy Feb 12th 2009 11:05 pm

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 7279849)
Thanks :)

I haven't seen that picture but I'm guessing it's from Ivanhoe where a fire was set by an arsonist yesterday, that is quite near to the city.

I've just seen Poly's picture and I guess at around 60km from the city and the right lense it's possible.

45km from the CBD as the crow flies and yes, as Fraser has pointed out, the right telephoto lens will give exactly this type of perspective shot.

We are living about 3.5km from the Ivanhoe grass fire that was lit yesterday. Looking at it from the train while passing by on the way home it looked like a huge amount of smoke, but it was only a 4 hectare fire I believe and brought quickly under control, absolutely miniscule when compared to the staggering size of the Kinglake/Marysville fires.

Cheetah7 Feb 12th 2009 11:21 pm

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
I think its amazing how everyone on this thread is so supportive of one another.

:wub:

Possums Feb 12th 2009 11:27 pm

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by hevs (Post 7279684)
i DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ ALL OF THIS THREAD, BUT A COUPLE OF POINTS...

Opps sorry to shout!

A LOT of people had no time to get out. This wasn't a normal fire. When our neigbour hammered our door we were inside with the curtains shut and the aircon on full bore...it was 46 degrees! No sign of anything when I came home less than an hour before. The fire was literally at the end of the rd but luckily it was largely scrub so we COULD escape. At that point there were no attending and IMHO no one in their right mind would stay and defend. But plenty did! How can you fight a fire thats out of control with a garden hose? The thing I remember most was the wind and the terrible noise it was making. My lips are still peeling now and I was only outside for 5 mins getting kids, dogs etc into the car.

We weren't even in a very big fire (180 hectares, mainly scrub) BUT it was terrifying and the wind..I'll never forget the noise,,,

We were very very lucky, if Elvis hadn't have shown up and the wind change direction when it did I think it could have been very different. My washing in the line was scorched and had ember burns in it! (its attached to the side of my weather board extension)

As for cellar...my cousins X Husband and the father of her 2 children(in Healsvilles saturdays fires) had one and went down there for a few hours till the noise stopped. Came out to NOTHING No car, house or possetions. However, he still says he still has everything...his kids lives...He was also insured.

Stay safe everyone. My heart goes out to all of those in Marysville, Kinglake, Flowerdale, Yea etc etc etc....deepest sympathies to all concerned. xx

good to hear you've still got that guardian angel with you Hevs :)


Originally Posted by fraser (Post 7279794)
A long way, I'd say80- 100k from the nearest. The wife works in the CBD on the 42nd floor and she says the whole of Melbourne is covered in a smoky haze today.

did you see the weather on the worst night of it, the smoke was over NZ!

carolinephillips Feb 13th 2009 12:15 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
Glad you are ok Hevs- what a horrible thing to go through. Lets hope the fire fighters can get the ones under control that are still burning, and that no more lives are endangered.
Stay safe.

kiwinow Feb 13th 2009 12:40 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
You were very lucky Hevs, by the sound of it. We've had one story on TV of a NZ couple who decided to stand and defend, but they looked like they had a farm and they put on their irrigation sprinklers. They still had to put fires out and they still thought they were going to die at one point. Their house is fine but everything around them is gone.

My kids school here in NZ raised a couple of thousand dollars yesterday and are collecting from other schools this week. We are going to pool it and wait until it's all over then seek advice and offer it to a school to help rebuild a playground or a hall or something to do with kids.

Does anyone know if the Healesville sanctuary is OK? I went there many times as a kid and I hate to think that they might not be able to evacuate the animals.

Some idiot on a radio talkback show yesterday criticised articles like the koala story (the one where the koala drank from the bottle). He reckoned that it was poor journalism to drum up a cute animal story when there are so many more interesting stories around. He got bollocksed, as people found that story so moving and hell, it's good to have something to smile about in the middle of all that isn't it?

hevs Feb 13th 2009 3:52 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
I'm worried about the sanctuary too... Healsville has another threat today, the smoke is horrendous its like saturday again:ohmy:

But nothing too near by thats reported...http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/...nt_summary.htm

I just got the local rag and it says how lucky the township of Harkaway was that Elvis arrived when he did.....Long live the king:thumbsup:

Stay safe everyone

hevs Feb 13th 2009 3:54 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Does anyone know if the Healesville sanctuary is OK? I went there many times as a kid and I hate to think that they might not be able to evacuate the animals.

Some idiot on a radio talkback show yesterday criticised articles like the koala story (the one where the koala drank from the bottle). He reckoned that it was poor journalism to drum up a cute animal story when there are so many more interesting stories around. He got bollocksed, as people found that story so moving and hell, it's good to have something to smile about in the middle of all that isn't it?
Good on them I say! It made me cry to see such hope in such despair:eek:

Pollyana Feb 13th 2009 6:55 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
I don't know if we have any posters in the worst areas, but Nickyp is out near Wangaratta. Has anone heard from them - and does anyone know if any other posters have been drectly affected?

fraser Feb 13th 2009 6:58 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by Pollyana (Post 7280950)
I don't know if we have any posters in the worst areas, but Nickyp is out near Wangaratta. Has anone heard from them - and does anyone know if any other posters have been drectly affected?

Nicky is fine last I heard:)

Pollyana Feb 13th 2009 6:59 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by Pollyana (Post 7280950)
I don't know if we have any posters in the worst areas, but Nickyp is out near Wangaratta. Has anone heard from them - and does anyone know if any other posters have been drectly affected?

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...01-952,00.html

A 39-YEAR-OLD man has today been charged with one count of arson causing death and one count of intentionally lighting a bushfire.

Pollyana Feb 13th 2009 7:00 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by fraser (Post 7280957)
Nicky is fine last I heard:)

Thanks :)

BadgeIsBack Feb 13th 2009 10:37 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 

Originally Posted by asprilla (Post 7269270)
I think that there are several very steep inclines in that area, which were heavily wooded and extremely dry. On these steep uphill inclines, the fire fronts would have genuinely travelled at extraordinary speed, with no possibility of outrunning them.

Fire speed doubles for every 10 degree of slope.


Originally Posted by hevs (Post 7279684)

The fire was literally at the end of the rd but luckily it was largely scrub so we COULD escape. At that point there were no attending and IMHO no one in their right mind would stay and defend..

We were very very lucky, if Elvis hadn't have shown up and the wind change direction when it did I think it could have been very different. My washing in the line was scorched and had ember burns in it! (its attached to the side of my weather board extension)

Our afternoon crew were moved from Narre Warren N to Harkaway Hevs.
The threat soon subsided and they were hanging around for a while.

I wish I could have been there on that shift - as senior bod on that appliance I would have personally directed the tanker to outside your joint - and with no instructions from your good self to perform a jewish stocktake, I would have paid more attention to it....

Wol, as for CFA fundraising that is mostly for the extras - a lot does get paid for. Many brigades buy their own second tanker - we are about to do so but we are also planning to get a big grant from a non-govt organisation.

sunbather Feb 13th 2009 10:59 am

Re: FIRES! Is everyone ok?
 
I'm in WA and can smell smoke really strongly atm, can se it over the rooftops and can hear sirens. It's a very windy night and the wind is blowing in this direction :blink:


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