5 Days ago our community had this Fire awareness event in case of fires around our area. Today at roughly 1pm we see smoke coming from north of the town. We are informed 3 fires had started over in the bushes just beyond the entrance to the town. This is an image i took from the roof of my shed. And this was from a few streets closer. This was just the start. No longer than 1 hour had passed and the fire had spread to the north west and south of the town and to surrounding areas. But it wasnt just us. Alot of victoria is already dealing with their own fires. Only another 2 hours pass and the fire is massive. And this was a shot from my friend in the town east of us 20km away. Its been 5 years since the major fires of black Saturday on the 7th of feb 2009 where the fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires. And even though its always announced that its complete fire ban, fires manage to start. There have already been homes lost in the north end of Morwell and people have been evacuated from the area. The smoke clouds are think and are spreading through the entire area. This is a video of the main district in the town. Our CFA is working their best to Fight these fires and control them but in these conditions its the hardest thing to do. With the temperature being 40°C (Celsius) [104 °F (Fahrenheit) ] and the surrounding areas being dry, A fire is the last thing we want. Its been 7 hour since the fires started and at 8pm this is what they still look like. Its crazy to think how bad these fires are and how much worse they can get. I have not been told to evacuate yet but I'm on standby. The fires are within 1 Kilometer of my house and I am shaking just waiting for the news but the firemen are desperately trying to stop the town from burning down and so far its proofing successful. But the worst news of all of this, is that we were told about 5 hours ago there is evidence to suggest the fires had been deliberately lit. This was the same thing that happened 5 years ago. With so much lost and so much damage still around, these arsonists still want nothing more than more destruction. I'm hoping things get better by tomorrow. I have no idea where our family would go since our only direction is east. All other roads have been blocked off. Which west is the only direction we know people and Family where we could take shelter. I'll post/edit in any more news that comes in Below here if i am able. Or follow this website for information our CFA is providing: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ Images I just found from around 5pm in Mickleham Victoria. Thats roughly 300km west of my location.
Keep safe out there. I hope the winds keep most of the smoke out of town. It kind of reminds me of the fire season in Idaho. We were surround on three sides by massive fires on base one year. Not fun.
Arson, really? I remember one bad brushfire in Australia in recent years was suspected to have started by a cigarette butt, another by some dumbass who tried to replace a flat tire with a street sign and threw sparks into the underbrush as he drove, but not arson.
Fires seem to be under control throughout Victoria now. Only 2 remain. Thats huge considering only 2 days ago there were over 40 locations on high alert.
