GekkoFyre

I highly recommend that others read this article from The Australian as it goes to show just how easily lives are lost in a firestorm: How we cheated flames of death.

The official deceased count is now at a confirmed total of 130 people, having even far surpassed the Black Friday fires of 1939...

It seems that for now my home is officially safe due to those north-easterly winds while the Bunyip fires themselves have subsided, after having consumed 24,500 hectares already. This means that as of 2:45 PM, the urgent threat message no longer applies to all the surrounding towns which is wonderful news ^.=.^ From what I understand, two nearby towns have sustained damage but the actual number would almost definitely be higher. It's difficult trying to ascertain what is exactly going on due to the lack of information available on the internet. The rail lines and main freeway to/from Melbourne continue to be blocked as well, probably due to the danger which is still posed from the fire and the fact that they haven't been able to investigate any damage sustained by the rail lines yet.

Unfortunately, there are still many more wildfires burning throughout the state of Victoria. There is a large firestorm north of Melbourne that is 115,000 hectares in size as the result of separate fires linking up together, and another to the north-east that is 93,000 hectares in size. A total of 35 people have already been confirmed dead with 12 of these in just a single town, primarily because of how fast these fires can move. At least two towns have been reduced to almost nothing (Marysville and Kinglake) while many more are burning and being evacuated as I write this. There is also a 40,000 hectare wildfire burning in the Latrobe Valley near where my university campus is located and there are worries that it may impact on the operation of nearby power plants which supply most of Victoria's electricity.

The Federal Government is apparently bringing in the army to help bolster the heavily fatigued firefighters who are doing a fantastic job, whom can also provide much needed large equipment like bulldozers which can help with containment lines. I want to send out my enormous thanks to them all for their wonderful efforts as so many people are losing their livelihoods and homes in these tragic events.

EDIT: I decided to attach a map of Victoria which shows the locations of all the fires as of 5:00 PM. The latest updates can be seen by [clicking here].

Update (5:30 PM): It has been confirmed that 65 people are now dead which has surpassed the Ash Wednesday death toll of 47 for Victoria. At least 640 homes have been destroyed too.

Update (9:00 PM): The confirmed death toll is now at a total of 76 people with most deaths occurring north and north-east of Melbourne. The firestorm to the north which is named the Kinglake complex, according to The Age, is now at least 80 kilometers (or did they mean 8 kilometers?) wide and 220,000 hectares in size after several fires merged. I'm not sure what kind of fuzzy math they are using if it's the former so I'll just assume that it's a bloody big fire front ;) The one to the north-east that is the Murrindindi blaze has merged with the Kilmore fires, where it is now approximately 100,000 hectares in size.

Update (10:00 PM): I only recently noticed that the V/Line rail service between Melbourne and Traralgon did in fact resume service from mid-day onwards. There are eight partial road closures along the main freeway to/from Melbourne to limit access to the fire-affected area in the north, but other than those exceptions it is open.

Even though Victoria's Ash Wednesday firestorm of 1983 occurred prior to my birth, there are currently events raging near my home right at this moment making me think back to it. There is a bushfire burning out of control in Bunyip State Forest and adjacent townships have been put on high alert as a result, and if predictions turn out to be true then the town where I live will soon fall into the path of this inferno. My aunt and uncle are already fighting against the fires which are right next to their property and home in an attempt to save everything. My parents have been trying to contact them since to make sure if everything is okay along with their children (the aunt's and uncle's). Any attempt thus far to bring only the children to safety has already proven impossible as most roads are now completely blocked off, along with all of Gippsland's rail services to/from Melbourne. Honestly, I wish that I were back in Victoria so that I may help my family prepare for what could be the worst, instead of only being able to look on from here in Sydney.

I mentioned Ash Wednesday because from everything that I have heard and read, all the conditions are currently there to cause another repeat. High temperatures (46 °C in Melbourne!), extremely low humidity, high winds and even a dust storm which had preceded these fires just like last time. We've been in a heatwave for over a week now so everything is far drier than it should be. I have a gut feeling that my home will be alright in the end but you can never tell what may just happen in these circumstances, and I worry for others who have already been affected.

The Age has some nice photos of these events, including ones from the town of Warragul which I visit often.

[1]: Victoria's Bushfires.
[2]: Reader pictures.

Update (9 PM): It seems that my aunt and uncle are okay now. They had a number of firetrucks over at their house to help and the fire has recently passed. Some of the towns nearby to mine have been evacuated though and more have been put on high alert, with the main freeway towards Melbourne now completely closed also. Smallish spot fires are currently occurring all around the towns of Warragul and Darnum.

Update (midnight): It appears that the wildfire nearby the town where I live (Drouin) is changing direction away from it, due to the new north-easterly winds. An urgent threat message has been advised for the nearby towns of Warragul, Nilma, Darnum, Neerim, Tarago and Jindivick, while the main freeway is still apparently blocked off. Gippsland rail lines to/from Melbourne will be closed until mid-Sunday at the very earliest. So a little good news at last and my parents feel safe enough to finally get some sleep tonight =)

Further photo galleries which I have found are listed below. I have also attached a map to help readers who aren't local to this area (click on the 'Read more' link).

[3]: ABC - Bushfires.
[4]: The Age - Aftermath.
[5]: The Age - Bushfire Recovery.
[6]: The Age - Our Darkest Day (Video + Audio).