February Dragon

It's the title of a Colin Thiele book, in case you were wondering.

I woke up to thunder claps, a brief rain shower - and the news reporting 25 confirmed dead, including 6 in one car at Kinglake.

Oh God.

Estimates are up to 40 dead.

At this stage.

When I went to bed they hadn't been able to get near Labertouche. I don't know if they have yet either. There's still an imminent threat warning going. It's been going for 3 days now.

I used to play tennis there.

There are still uncontrolled fires going, it feels like all over the state.

The town of Marysville has been pretty much wiped off the map as far as having buildings goes.

There are 14 people reported dead in the Wandong fire. shnetti, I hope your family's safe and well. Dean's parents - and the town - were dead lucky. Kinglake not so much.

The Bunyip fire is heading towards Noojee, which is somewhere I would not want to be trapped in a fire. It's a beautiful little town, surrounded by bush and steep hills. Similar to Marysville. There is an oval (there's always an oval). At least this time, unlike 1939, there's information available about the fire, about the fire's direction, about what to do and where to go and when to go. In 1939 people were boiled alive up there trying to escape the fires in their water tanks, in creeks. This time the logging crews will have been pulled out already for starters.

Thank God this day didn't come at the end of the heatwave last week.

Marysville

Saw news footage. Oh my God. If what was being reported on the radio is true, some CFA volunteers have lost family members. Family members who they told to stay home because it's safer. Which it normally is.

But not when the entire town is being overwhelmed.

They've started talking about finding bodies in Gippsland, but the confirmed toll hasn't been reported as increased yet. Most of the bodies found so far have been in or near their cars.

The CFA incident updates has updated to say that:

We understand that everyone is safe in Marysville and are assembled at Gallipoli Park. Emergency response crews are working on getting emergency services into the town; however crews were experiencing difficulty gaining access to the town due to trees falling across the road. People are reminded to remain at Gallipoli Park until advised by DSE or CFA authorities that it is safe to leave. Vic SES and the Red Cross delivered food and drink to the residents and fire fighters who are sheltering at the Gallipoli Park relief centre early this morning. Residents will be escorted from the area when it is safe to do so.

God I hope so.

and slowly

The toll keeps rising, now at 35. From The Age:

Kinglake 6, Kinglake West 6, St Andrews 4, Arthurs Creek 1, Humevale 3, Wandong 4, Bendigo 1, Strathewen 1, Callignee 4, Upper Callignee 1, Hazelwood 3, Jeealang 1.

What is worrying me is that these are almost all from the same area. Hazelwood and (I think) Jeealang are from the mid-Gippsland fires that were threatening the power supplies, no idea where Callignee is (and my older Melways isn't helping.)

None of these are from Marysville or the Bunyip fire as far as I can tell.

Large parts of the outskirts of Bendigo have also been burnt out.

This is not good.

Talking with another friend at lunch, a mutual friend's family who live near to Marysville are, fortunately, all safe. They thought they'd lost the farm, but apparently it's still standing. The mutual friend's aunt has lost her farm though.

To the best of my friend's knowledge the family are all safe though. Although they know people who have been killed - and who haven't yet turned up in the statistics.

They're now predicting higher death numbers. I think the Marysville devastation shocked everyone.

The picture on the front of the Herald-Sun has the Kongwak brigade truck in it. I've no idea which fire they're at - could be one of about three. Either way, they would have travelled at least 50km to it.