After a night on the swill and at a barbie, woke up to news of the Victorian fire storms to our south. 35 people incinerated. A dark day for Australians.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25023335-1243,00.html
Most of the bodies were discovered in towns northeast of Melbourne - six at Kinglake, six at Kinglake West, four each at Wandong and St Andrews, three each at Humevale and Hazelwood, and one each in Arthurs Creek, Strathewan, Upper Callignee, Jeealang and Bendigo.
At least six bodies were found in the one car at Kinglake, with reports that others may have been trying to escape the fire in cars.
Police have not yet given the gender or ages of the victims, but one Kinglake resident said three members of the same family, believed to include a 14-year-old girl, a nine-year-old boy and an uncle, had died in the same house.
"It rained fire," another Kinglake resident told Sky News.
Strathewen resident Mary Avola said her husband of 43 years, Peter Avola, was among those killed. "He was behind me for a while and we tried to reach the oval but the gates were locked," she told Melbourne's Herald Sun.
"He just told me to go and that's the last time I saw him."
Firefighter Richard Hoyle described the scene as "a holocaust". "The road is riddled with burnt-out cars involved in multiple collisions and debris," he said.
Raylene Kincaide, of Narbethong, said her home had been destroyed and there was little left of the town. "Everyone we know has lost everything they had," she said on ABC radio.
More than 20 people have been admitted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital with burns and three are in a critical condition. Seven of the injured have burns to more than 30 per cent of their bodies.
Anyone concerned about family or friends in fire areas should call the CFA on 1800 727 077.
Premier John Brumby has described the disaster as "the worst day in our history". He called the bushfires "a monster that couldn't be controlled".
The CFA said the communities of Kinglake, Kinglake West, Toolangi, Glenburn, Strathewen, Chum Creek, Dixons Creek, Castella, Pheasant Creek, Doreen, Yan Yean, Woodstock, Mernda, Mittons Bridge, Hurstbridge, St Andrews, Panton Hill, Arthurs Creek, Smiths Gully, Christmas Hills, Healesville, Yarra Glen, Coldstream, Tarrawarra, Steels Creek, had been and still may be directly impacted upon by the fire.
The worst bushfire to strike Victoria was the 1983 Ash Wednesday disaster when 47 people were killed in the state.
General information on fires and fire locations is available by calling the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667. The CFA is also posting updates on Twitter.
Donations for those affected are being accepted by the National Australia Bank and Bendigo Bank.
The Australian Red Cross is accepting blood donations.
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