Posted by Mike Field on March 04, 2009 at 01:08:24 user mikefield.
In Reply to: Re: Four firs that used to be in a wood posted by andyb on March 02, 2009 at 22:07:01:
Thanks for asking, Andy.
I'm on the mainland, now in the ACT. The fires have been in Victoria (mainly Central and Eastern,) but that was where I spent my first 60-odd years, and I know all those places well. Also, all my family and children live in Victoria. So yes, I've been following the news avidly.
Currently the official death toll is 210, over a thousand houses have been destroyed, many thousands of people are homeless, and the insurance bill has apparently topped $1bn.
Last night was tipped to be particularly bad again because five fires were still burning and gale-force winds had been experienced during the afternoon. Over a million mobile-phone users received fire warning messages on their phones, there were constant news flashes on radio, and mobile traffic-warning signs were used to convey fire warnings.
In the event the winds abated somewhat, temperatures cooled, and some rain fell, so no particular further damage was done (as far as I know.)
Two arsonists have been charged. One lit fires in Gippsland that caused 21 deaths, and potentially faces 25 years in gaol as a result. In addition, the town of Marysville (further north) was essentially burnt-out, and is now locked down as it's an official crime scene.
A Royal Commission has been established to determine the causes, and particularly to make recommendations for future action. But so were others established after Black Friday in 1939 and after Ash Wednesday in 1983, and no-one is particularly sanguine that any more official notice will be taken of this one than was of the others....
This is not really an AR-related thread, but interested people can follow the events of the last four weeks at the link below.