Australian Bushfires.

[Pooksta]

As I mentioned recently, we have been suffering incredibly hot temparatures recently, 44 deg cent plus and very strong hot winds. It was unbearable but bloody nice when the cool change came in. However, yesterday (Saturday 7th Feb) we had another EXTREMELY hot and windy day. It got to 47.6 deg cent where I live and work. (Near Melbourne, Victoria).

As a Police member, I was out in it assisting distressed people and doing what we could. However, in some other parts of the state, some were not so lucky. There is a number of bushfires still burning and at last count about 15 mins ago there were 66 deaths. Some elderly people and children among the count. We are in the midst of the worst ever heat/bushfire crisis in recent history and it's taking its toll on not only peole but also things like power and water supply.

For those who may wish to read more, visit www.news.com.au That's the local Herald Sun newspaper. I like the warm weather but this is over the top.

Also there was an article in the news re a Koala that crawled into a house in the bush nearby to us. It was dehydrated and managed to find a tub of water withing the house and climbed in! it's on the net somewhere if ya wanna look. Just type in Koala in a bucket or similar. Cute but just shows the desparate times we are having here at the moment.

One plus though, the Trophy still runs well in all the heat.. :ya2:

Lee.

 

[CarlS]

That is when a liquid cooled engine is nice! I have been reading about the fires down your way. I hope you all get some relief soon.

 

[grandpaul]

Hopefully, all Triumphtalk members are okay...

 

[Rocky]

We've been getting TV news reports about the situation down under. A terrible tragedy for everyone there.

 

[Pooksta]

It's now official, this is the worst bushfire in Australian history, and there's been a few over the years. 106 confirmed dead so far, people burned alive in their vehicles trying to escape, whole families just "gone". This mornings papers are just brimming with pictures of the destruction. Whole towns completely burned.

There is a pic of a Harley V Rod on its side on one burned out road. The rider was found dead near his bike. The bike is partially melted. Says it all I think.

God be with everyone who has perished and those who have lost family and their total belongings and homes.

Lee.

 

[CarlS]

Amen, Lee.

 

[DaveM]

I have just been watching news reports of this on Sky News and it is a tragedy for sure. Our thought and prays are with you all down under. The worst thing is some of the fires are suspected to have been started deliberately, lets hope they find these people and hand them up like they deserve

 

[The Seeker]

Wow....I just saw how bad things are there. It's like the whole continent if on fire! Mother Nature makes you feel so helpless. Our thoughts are with Australia!!!

Take care Lee!

 

[Pooksta]

These fires are still on the go, some under control, others not! So far it is confirmed taht 173 are dead, we suspect that we will find many more under the ruins of houses and buildings not yet searched due to the conditions. This is truly Australia's greatest natural disaster. Saying that, Police suspect that at least two of the fires were deliberatley lit by arsonists out to get thier "jollies" off. I know what I'd do with thier "Jollies" if I caught them... Still, as a cop, I must remain proffessional.

Here is a news clipping from www.news.com.au of some of the work being done by the disater investigation teams. Horrible work but so nessecary:


DISASTER victim identification experts working to put names to the mounting toll of victims in the state's fire grounds could be confronted by up to 30 bodies a day, police said yesterday.

Insp Greg Hough pleaded with the community to be patient and supportive of police and forensic experts performing one of Australia's most harrowing jobs.

He said DVI teams were "normal, sensitive people doing a tough job", the Herald Sun reports.

Dental records, DNA and fingerprints will be used to identify bodies burnt beyond normal means of recognition. Insp Hough said it could be months before the last body was positively identified.

Thirty-five interstate experts have joined a Victoria Police unit, formed after the Bali bombings and trained to perform victim identification.

The eight-member DVI unit are trained crime scene examiners with specialist skills and have been bolstered by regional crime scene officers.
Related Coverage
• Nation weeps as toll tops 173The Australian, 10 Feb 2009
• 173 dead in worst bushfire disasterNEWS.com.au, 10 Feb 2009
• Our nation's blackest dayDaily Telegraph, 10 Feb 2009
• Tragic fire toll reaches 156Adelaide Now, 10 Feb 2009
• No way out: Valley of DeathNEWS.com.au, 10 Feb 2009

They are assisted by specialists from the State Coroner's Office, where bodies are taken after leaving the scene.

Pathologists, odontologists and anthropologists - who can establish gender, age and race from examining bones - are among specialists involved.

Insp Hough said DVI teams had worked all Sunday night to move bodies from the open. "It was a priority to try and reduce trauma as much as we can by removing any human remains as quickly as possible," he said.

"Our people have got a job to do, but they do it with as much respect as they can for both the dead and their families to assist them in the grieving process and get their loved ones' remains back".

He said each body had to be treated first as a crime scene in case arson was involved.

DVI efforts in the field are being managed by Det-Supt Doug O'Loughlin and Det-Insp Bob Sitlington. Insp Hough, who co-ordinated Victoria's DVI response for seven years until last year, was awarded an OAM after leading the state's team of experts who went to Bali to assist after the bombings.

Pressure on DVI to achieve closure for victims' families and friends was huge.

"To be able to give people answers, or at least bury their relatives with respect and dignity and move on and be able to grieve, is important to the public and important to us," he said.

Lee. :sad:

 

[CarlS]

Not a pretty picture and a terrible disaster. My heart goes out to the survivors and the families of the victims. I surely hope LEO catches the arsonists! They ought to dies the same way as their victims died.

 

[Lioness]

Hey Lee we have been getting a lot of coverage here in SA on the bush fires. On 5fm this morning they had an interview with a guy who has just lost his two kids. It breaks your heart. It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts go out to all the suffering people and animals.

 

[DaveM]

I think when you start seeing faces behind this it hit home even more and makes it more heartbreaking

http://media.news.com.au/multimedia/mediaplayer/skins/timeline/index.html?id=1185

 

[Gary]

This is truly a heartbreaking tragedy. Fires alone are bad enough as they often take away everything one had accumulated in a lifetime and can be more devasting to a person as a family death, divorce or loss of a job. But when fires start taking lives by the dozens they can be scarier than any Hollywood horror movie.

In rural southern USA, there is a strong superstition about never rebuilding on a site where a home burns down, regardless of its value or location. You can drive through the country and see tree plots that were obvious home sites decades ago and in sites where you can no longer see where a home once stood, you can often see daffodils coming up in what appears to be virgin ground and you know that was once someone's front yard.

In my town there is a single oval shaped street called the "circle" where most of the local millionaires live; the prime lot in the subdivision is the only empty lot. A huge mansion burned to ground there about 30 years ago and no one has wanted it for a home site since.

 

[gumpt1oo]

My heart goes out to all the people affected by the fires and the floods.
It is hard to believe that they suspect some of the fires where started deliberately,
I hope they catch the low life scum!
On a more happy note, I was pleased to see the little Koala survived after being rescued by the fireman.
Here's a link to the story, there's a video of the Koala drinking from the fireman's bottle of water.
Brought a tear to my eyes.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2227862.ece

 

[Rocky]

I saw the TV news item on the little koala. Very cute and at least some good news for a change.
But what a terrible disaster for all those poor people! It's absolutely heartbreaking!

 

[Pooksta]

And it still goes on... I'm off to the fire front tonight for an extra 8 hr shift to assist wherever we can.

Such a tragedy. Some of the police members coming back have mentioned that they are not looking forward to being sent back in. Not suprising but they do it anyway.

I'll keep the forum informed.

Lee

 

[DaveM]

Lee please take care

 

[The Seeker]

My Daughter watched that and asked me how soon we could leave for Australia and rescue the animals!

She completely broke down in tears over those Koalas!

 

[Silli]

This is indeed a terrible tragedy....... or crime. :angry: :angry:

 

[Gromit]

It's just so hard to grasp the magnitude of this tragedy. Even watching the TV coverage, I don't think we can absorb the full impact of the devastation. My heart just goes out to those who've lost their loved ones and their homes. Take care Lee and keep us posted. I heard they have a suspect in custody?? If he's the arsonist, he should be burned at the stake for the misery he's caused.