Hope everyone is Ok in these bushfires around australia at the moment. 25 confirmed fatalities and another 25 expected.More than 100 homes lost. I saw a dude in a green 67 valiant nearly get torched in a firestorm in Victoria on fox news last night. All thoughts are with you guys-godspeed.
the fires came through way quicker than expected. very sad day. everyone i know in those areas has escaped serious damage and injury, hope the rest of you australian guys here and those of you overseas that have relative here in the affected areas. have the same good luck with your families and friends.
Hope you guys are doing OK. If you aren't burning and choking on smoke, some of you are submerged in floodwaters. The people flooded out have to watch for crocs in the neighborhood! Not a good deal at all.
Thoughts are with you from fire prone California. I nearly lost my entire stash of cars and parts - the firefighters stopped a 45 ft (15m) high wall of flames 20 ft (6m) from my barn in 2007. We lost three homes just two doors down from me too. It is really scary stuff. Hope you Aussie HAMBers make it through okay.
No major fires out this way but its flamin hot and still drought ridden, its so bad i disconnected my flamethrowers a few years back. Still at 8.30 this morning it was hot enough ta repaint my missus's 58 wagon's roof. Lake macquarie eh? i grew up at wangi, uncle chop.
We had fires not to far from me, and I can tell you my young girls were scared enough as it was. there was thick smoke restriting vision to only a couple of hundred metres in broad daylight. Thankfully my family are safe. These fires are consuming all our thoughts, and I'm sending out all my positive thoughts hoping there will be no further loss of life.
hi greg, Im at bonnells bay,bout 5 mins south from wangi wangi How long did you move away from the lake? "These fires are consuming all our thoughts, and I'm sending out all my positive thoughts hoping there will be no further loss of life." Well said.
Thoughts and concerns from SOCAL. 2007 fires came within 1 mile of my house. I actually could see the first smoke plumes from the Witch fire...and then the Santa Anna's started. My wifes relatives were trapped at 4 am. Their only choice was to jump in the pool. I received a call at 4 am and then nothing. News flash 49 dead 640 homes destroyed. Looks alot like the same conditions as took place here in Ramona. High winds and fire.
Yeah they found the guys who lit some of the fires. One was shot dead while he was lighting a fire near the OC area. The other was a volunter fire fighter. Personally I think these sick bastards need to be roasted over a pit.
The toll is 65, climbing all the time. 300,000 hectares burnt - including whole towns, and not many of the fires have been contained yet.
I just watched the news and they said "as the firefighters are putting fires out, or trying to, somene is lighting fires behind them", what sort of person would do such a thing.
Hoping that 'striper' is ok, he works for the CFA out that side of town and lives around Kilmore, which was under threat yesterday. This ontop of the finacial issues will drive some to the wall. Very sad stuff.
Striper was who I thought of when I was writing this post- i remember his shed in his rpu post was near the bush. Watching the news is making me sick.
I went through those areas last September on my big trip round OZ, It's asbsolutely shocking to see the fires have destroyed towns which only months ago were green and lush . I have a mate at Tumut who'se sweating it out,they have smaller fires buring and total fire bans an d seriuosly dry up there too. ,it would appear there are seriously mad people out there lighting these. Suspects have been seen earlier this month but nothing leading to their capture. The Police have a task force attemptnig to target these pricks. Vic cops shoot on sight so there will be justice done. Regarding jumping in their pool. Peoplejhave died here in the Blue Mountains trying to shelter in pools during bush fires. The heat from a bush fire is about 1000 C Plus. You will never survive in a swimming pool ,you are boiled alive. http://au.video.yahoo.com/network/100000095
About 4.00 PM the wind changed, we are now getting a southerly which will hopefully give as a cool change. By about 5.00PM there is a lot of quite thick smoke... I hope it has come from a long way away.
Hope everyone is ok we had three houses go yesterday about 10 min down the road. Devilrod was choking on smoke.
ive just put a report in for a family friend who we cant reach who had a property up in kinglake that was jammed full of old fords like a museum of sorts. we are all hoping for the best for all affected people.
Confirmed death toll is now 66, and one Vic rodder has lost his partner and 3 young daughters when they were trapped in their home. http://www.ozrodders.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=27089 Bloody tragedy, and yes, most of the fires were deliberately lit. I'd call it murder. Glen.
I don't know the family involved, but that has to be the most gut wrenching feeling ever know to man.... I feel for him deeply.
rhys, don't hold much hope for that stash of ford stuff in kinglake, pretty much everything east of kilmore is (excuse my french and my delivery) FUCKED. my uncle lost his house in flowerdale, luckily he was out early. my mum's side are all CFA and i spent last night with a scanner, pager and the cfaonline updates, it was scary stuff. auntie's husband is a brigade captain and he was getting calls at 4pm saturday from a crew saying we need more units, expletive where are you expletive. i bet the old dragway workshop is gone too. a very sad day for the state.
As Jase said, it was too close for my liking. The Golf course we are no less than 50metres from was burning on its northern side and the wind was blowing straight at us!!! Went out for a look and had to go back in as it was hard to breath. The really distrubing part is if the pines trees long the boundary went up with the strength the wind was blowing at it could have been catastrophic. Then the wind shifted and the fire went off in another direction and took out 9 houses. There is maybe a kilometre (just over half a mile) of open grasslands in amongst residential areas where this fire was. The highway is still blocked now. Very unsettling. Our Volunteer fire firefighters are doing it hard, sure hope Striper is alright. I think Bertieboy is in Flowerdale (kinglake area) too. Lets hope they're OK. Its a day I'd like to forget.
I hope Striper and all our other country brothers are ok.....and the volunteer firefighters rushing off to fight fires elsewhere, with every possibility that their own house and everything they own has just vanished. It takes some mighty big balls!!! To put it in perspective for you guys in the snow.....look back at Striper's chassis pix in his yard outside his shed...then imagine a 46 degree (115 Fahrenheit) day with gale force winds......then imagine everything in sight being vaporized in 20 seconds. Condolences to all affected. Help where you can. Tell me what I can do to help. Mark (Melbourne)
its is old wally's place corey! thanks for the awesome news we've been concerened all day. now ive gotta try and get his name off of the red cross list and call 3aw and fill them in. thank you again
Thanks for all the concern guys. All good here. The main Kilmore East fire that eventually engulfed Kinglake and now threatens the Yea area started about 3 - 4 miles south east of my place. Very close but under a northerly wind of 55 - 100 km/h it was soon on it's way away from my place. I've been on duty the last 2 days down in Greenvale so I haven't been working on these fires. We did send a crew from my station (volunteers) up to Whittlesea yesterday and their whole strike team got burnt over. Luckily they're all OK. The strike team leaders car was destroyed and 3 trucks severely damaged. Fortunately our truck was only singed and some plastic bits melted. On the bright side they pulled 3 civilians on foot into the truck just prior to the fire front impacting on them. Definitely saved their lives. I have many horror stories from several workmates and friends who have been out there. Devastating is not a strong enough word. One of my best friends (and my boss) was today coordinating the DVI teams in the area and I can assure you the counting has just begun. Good luck to any of you who are still under threat. Pete
You're right Brett. Bert is in Flowerdale. I think that is about where the fire is at right now. Hope he's OK. My fear now is later in the week if the wind swings back to the north the whole thing will be coming back this way again
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