News and information service for Banaban Network Worldwide!
Blazes still threaten towns as Victoria bushfires toll reaches 173
SunHerald.com Mark Buttler February 10, 2009 12:00am
UPDATE 6:50am WHOLE towns have been declared crime scenes as the toll from Victoria's worst natural disaster leapt to 173.
The toll rise comes as fresh southerly winds today will make firefighting difficult for the thousands of volunteers struggling to get on top of the fires sweeping through central, eastern and north-east Victoria.
The Bureau of Meteorology says that while temperatures will be cooler, southerly winds of around 20 to 25 knots will spring up through the day.
Senior forecaster Richard Carlyon said there was no sign of significant rain for the rest of the week with only a few drops falling in the Gippsland area which is battling with the Churchill bushfire.
"The southerly winds are likely to freshen this afternoon and this evening through the central part of the state through to the northeast,'' Mr Carlyon said.
"The fires up around Healesville, up through Murrindindi and Beechworth will be affected by this freshening of the south to southwesterly winds.''
Meanwhile the death tolls in two of Victoria’s hardest hit towns have jumped dramatically overnight.
In the latest figures released by police about 6:50am, the death toll in St Andrews leapt from six to 22 and at Strathewen from seven to 30.
It is believed the jump in numbers came after rescuers found large groups of bodies were people huddled together as they tried to brave the blaze.
Premier John Brumby yesterday warned the bushfire emergency would get worse before it gets any better.
"We've still got fires that are not contained," he said.
"There is a huge effort to get them under control.
"Tragically, we will have more deaths later this week."
There are fears the tragedy will have claimed more than 200 lives by the time police complete their searches of towns wiped out by the blazes.
The worst-hit area remains Kinglake where at least 35 perished and grave fears are held for many others, including Paul and Karen Roland and their daughters Caitlin, 14, and Nicola, 12.
"They were stuck at their property and had no power.
"Then the fire went through and by the time they found out it was too late to leave," Karen's sister Rebecca Trezise said. "We haven't heard anything since."
Locals say 22 people died in Steels Creek Rd, near Yarra Glen, including three children seeking sanctuary in a bathtub.
Burnt-out cars which became tombs lined bush roads in the central highlands where volunteers were recovering the charred remains of friends and colleagues.
Three sisters were waiting near a roadblock outside Healesville when they were told their parents and disabled brother were dead.
Two of the sisters' husbands had gone through the roadblock in a desperate search for Faye and Bill Walker and their wheelchair-bound son, Geoffrey, 53, at Narbethong.
They found their bodies inside the house, with their car parked outside, packed and ready to go with the key in the ignition and the family dog in the back.
The three daughters -- Marilyn, Julie and Vivian -- were inconsolable as they cried and hugged each other at the roadblock when their partners returned with the news.
A massive relief effort has been mounted to help those left homeless by the destruction of 750 dwellings in Australia's worst natural disaster.
Its scope was evident at emergency refugee camps at Alexandra and Whittlesea where hundreds of the homeless have converged for help.
Hand-written notes and pictures are plastered on walls as survivors desperately try to make contact with loved ones.
In many cases, they are facing a gut-wrenching wait for police to scour the towns in which their family members or friends were last seen alive.
Victorians told of the horrific final minutes of relatives such as Wandong man Steve Lackas.
"I've got to go, I've got to go. The fire was all around him," brother Paul recalled of their last phone conversation.
He later found Steve, wearing a fire-retardant suit, in his laundry.
In other developments yesterday:
PREMIER John Brumby announced a Royal Commission into the calamity.
A SPECIAL new police taskforce is expected to be assembled to catch those responsible for some of the blazes.
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd branded the arsonists mass-murderers.
TRIBUTES flowed in for respected newsreader Brian Naylor, killed with his wife Moiree at Kinglake.
THE Red Cross said 5000 people had lost or evacuated their homes.
ARMY soldiers and interstate firefighters arrived to help battle those fire still burning.
CFA urgent threat messages were last night issued for the Toolangi, Won Wron, Dederang, Gundowring, Gundowring Upper, Glen Creek, Kergunyah South, Mudgegonga, Running Creek, Connellys Creek, Acheron, Crystal Creek, Crystal Creek Road, Scrubby Creek and along Wharregarwen Road .
Many other communities remained on alert, among them Healesville where fire-bombing aircraft were battling to douse spot blazes from a looming firefront.
Disaster victim identification experts yesterday said it could be months before their work was completed.
Insp. Greg Hough of Victoria Police pleaded for the community to be patient and support the police and forensic experts performing their harrowing task.
All of the fire-ravaged towns have been declared crime scenes as police start a massive investigation.
An angry Mr Rudd spoke angrily of the firebugs suspected of causing much of the carnage.
"What can you say about anyone like that there are no words to describe it other than mass murder," Mr Rudd said.
"The nation should brace itself for a very challenging time ahead."
Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon yesterday toured the devastated Kinglake and Marysville townships and last night told the Herald Sun it was one of the worst things she had seen in a long policing career.
She said at Kinglake a CFA volunteer approached wanting to know where to report his discovery of the bodies of two people he believed he knew.
"You see whole streets that were gone. You couldn't but be shocked and moved. This is easily one of the saddest things I've been involved in," she said.
Melbourne's media last night remained stunned by the death of Naylor, one of the industry's revered elder statesmen and his beloved wife.
Nine's present senior newsreader Peter Hitchener, who took over from Naylor, told of his sadness at the loss of his longtime friend.
"Brian had been a colleague and friend for more than 30 years," Hitchener said.
"Brian and his wife Moiree maintained their friendship with Nine staff even beyond his retirement and for me it's a tragic personal link to Australia's greatest ever natural disaster."
Alfred Hospital emergency department doctor De Villiers Smit said the blazes were a disaster on a similar scale to the Bali bombings.
"This is by far the worst disaster I've ever been involved with," Dr Smit said.
UPDATE 6:50am WHOLE towns have been declared crime scenes as the toll from Victoria's worst natural disaster leapt to 173.
The toll rise comes as fresh southerly winds today will make firefighting difficult for the thousands of volunteers struggling to get on top of the fires sweeping through central, eastern and north-east Victoria.
The Bureau of Meteorology says that while temperatures will be cooler, southerly winds of around 20 to 25 knots will spring up through the day.
Senior forecaster Richard Carlyon said there was no sign of significant rain for the rest of the week with only a few drops falling in the Gippsland area which is battling with the Churchill bushfire.
"The southerly winds are likely to freshen this afternoon and this evening through the central part of the state through to the northeast,'' Mr Carlyon said.
"The fires up around Healesville, up through Murrindindi and Beechworth will be affected by this freshening of the south to southwesterly winds.''
Meanwhile the death tolls in two of Victoria’s hardest hit towns have jumped dramatically overnight.
In the latest figures released by police about 6:50am, the death toll in St Andrews leapt from six to 22 and at Strathewen from seven to 30.
It is believed the jump in numbers came after rescuers found large groups of bodies were people huddled together as they tried to brave the blaze.
Premier John Brumby yesterday warned the bushfire emergency would get worse before it gets any better.
"We've still got fires that are not contained," he said.
"There is a huge effort to get them under control.
"Tragically, we will have more deaths later this week."
There are fears the tragedy will have claimed more than 200 lives by the time police complete their searches of towns wiped out by the blazes.
The worst-hit area remains Kinglake where at least 35 perished and grave fears are held for many others, including Paul and Karen Roland and their daughters Caitlin, 14, and Nicola, 12.
"They were stuck at their property and had no power.
"Then the fire went through and by the time they found out it was too late to leave," Karen's sister Rebecca Trezise said. "We haven't heard anything since."
Locals say 22 people died in Steels Creek Rd, near Yarra Glen, including three children seeking sanctuary in a bathtub.
Burnt-out cars which became tombs lined bush roads in the central highlands where volunteers were recovering the charred remains of friends and colleagues.
Three sisters were waiting near a roadblock outside Healesville when they were told their parents and disabled brother were dead.
Two of the sisters' husbands had gone through the roadblock in a desperate search for Faye and Bill Walker and their wheelchair-bound son, Geoffrey, 53, at Narbethong.
They found their bodies inside the house, with their car parked outside, packed and ready to go with the key in the ignition and the family dog in the back.
The three daughters -- Marilyn, Julie and Vivian -- were inconsolable as they cried and hugged each other at the roadblock when their partners returned with the news.
A massive relief effort has been mounted to help those left homeless by the destruction of 750 dwellings in Australia's worst natural disaster.
Its scope was evident at emergency refugee camps at Alexandra and Whittlesea where hundreds of the homeless have converged for help.
Hand-written notes and pictures are plastered on walls as survivors desperately try to make contact with loved ones.
In many cases, they are facing a gut-wrenching wait for police to scour the towns in which their family members or friends were last seen alive.
Victorians told of the horrific final minutes of relatives such as Wandong man Steve Lackas.
"I've got to go, I've got to go. The fire was all around him," brother Paul recalled of their last phone conversation.
He later found Steve, wearing a fire-retardant suit, in his laundry.
In other developments yesterday:
PREMIER John Brumby announced a Royal Commission into the calamity.
A SPECIAL new police taskforce is expected to be assembled to catch those responsible for some of the blazes.
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd branded the arsonists mass-murderers.
TRIBUTES flowed in for respected newsreader Brian Naylor, killed with his wife Moiree at Kinglake.
THE Red Cross said 5000 people had lost or evacuated their homes.
ARMY soldiers and interstate firefighters arrived to help battle those fire still burning.
CFA urgent threat messages were last night issued for the Toolangi, Won Wron, Dederang, Gundowring, Gundowring Upper, Glen Creek, Kergunyah South, Mudgegonga, Running Creek, Connellys Creek, Acheron, Crystal Creek, Crystal Creek Road, Scrubby Creek and along Wharregarwen Road .
Many other communities remained on alert, among them Healesville where fire-bombing aircraft were battling to douse spot blazes from a looming firefront.
Disaster victim identification experts yesterday said it could be months before their work was completed.
Insp. Greg Hough of Victoria Police pleaded for the community to be patient and support the police and forensic experts performing their harrowing task.
All of the fire-ravaged towns have been declared crime scenes as police start a massive investigation.
An angry Mr Rudd spoke angrily of the firebugs suspected of causing much of the carnage.
"What can you say about anyone like that there are no words to describe it other than mass murder," Mr Rudd said.
"The nation should brace itself for a very challenging time ahead."
Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon yesterday toured the devastated Kinglake and Marysville townships and last night told the Herald Sun it was one of the worst things she had seen in a long policing career.
She said at Kinglake a CFA volunteer approached wanting to know where to report his discovery of the bodies of two people he believed he knew.
"You see whole streets that were gone. You couldn't but be shocked and moved. This is easily one of the saddest things I've been involved in," she said.
Melbourne's media last night remained stunned by the death of Naylor, one of the industry's revered elder statesmen and his beloved wife.
Nine's present senior newsreader Peter Hitchener, who took over from Naylor, told of his sadness at the loss of his longtime friend.
"Brian had been a colleague and friend for more than 30 years," Hitchener said.
"Brian and his wife Moiree maintained their friendship with Nine staff even beyond his retirement and for me it's a tragic personal link to Australia's greatest ever natural disaster."
Alfred Hospital emergency department doctor De Villiers Smit said the blazes were a disaster on a similar scale to the Bali bombings.
"This is by far the worst disaster I've ever been involved with," Dr Smit said.
Comment
Forum
Visiting Rabi and Ocean Island
Started by brian russell in Banaban Issues. Last reply by Stacey King Apr 16, 2020. 7 Replies 0 Likes
Homecoming to Banaba
Started by Christina Maree Buchanan in Banaban Issues Jun 27, 2019. 0 Replies 2 Likes
Slides of Banaba from the 1960's
Started by Dominic Kaukas in Banaban Issues. Last reply by Stacey King Jun 13, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Events
HELP RABI WOMEN IN FIJI
for more details
Sponsors
Badge
Radio Links
© 2024 Created by Stacey King.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Banaban Voice to add comments!
Join Banaban Voice