In respect of the Worst Victorian (Australia) Bushfires [Call 1800 811 700 to Donate]

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My prayers are with all of Victoria with the fires going on.... --- Randy
 
Prosthetic
Ah... fire smoke... common thing to see here in Cali...
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Doesn't help the Californian government introduced Cali with fire hungry Australian Eucalyptus trees (aka gum trees)

Common thing here to, though not to this extent.
 
mafia_boy
Double fixed for both of you. 👍

They are calling the people who lit this mass murderers. Totally agree with that.

Maybe a lynch mob for these parasite firebugs are in order?? :trouble:
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A lynch mob might be too passive for these cowards.



Along with the phone donations you can on-line at red cross and while you're there spare a thought for those in Queensland who have been flooded out of there homes aswell.
 
Small world. One of my long-time friends just found out that her best friend and three members of their family just died. R.I.P Jaidyn. :indiff:
 
mafia_boy
Double fixed for both of you. 👍

They are calling the people who lit this mass murderers. Totally agree with that.

Maybe a lynch mob for these parasite firebugs are in order?? :trouble:
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If you ever read the 'Gular Archipelago' by Alexander Solzhenitsyn you'll be amazed by the sheer amount of small but incredibly torturous actions one can place on another individual. Take, for example, the fact that on one occasion 140 people were found in a cell intended for 25 (3 persons for each square yard of floor space), the toilets so overburdened that it was only able to be used once daily, with no ventilation or windows (meaning that the heat from each person's body raising the temperature 40-45C) and their naked body pressing against each other so much that they contracted eczema very soon from each other's sweat. No fresh food was given, only gruel. Atleast they were able to sit down, these miscreants deserve not only the above description but also to be rendered unable to stay hidden down on the ground again.
 
I was considering something more along the lines of medieval England. Torture racks, iron maidens, poking eyes out with hot irons, that type of thing. ;)
 
I'm sorry but I :lol: after reading that article. I would've hated to be that inventor. Told to invent this BBQ'ing torture invention yourself and get BBQ'ed inside it for your efforts. :lol:
 
How fast are these things moving along? Usually when you hear of something like this people that die are ones that tried to stay behind and save property and were overtaken by smoke inhalation in the progress. But now I hear about a guy getting overtaken while on his motorcycle?

The death toll is much higher than usual and I highly doubt that the victims are suddenly to blame.

I'll admit until recently I haven't been paying much attention because wild fires are an annual thing in certain areas of the US. But as I started hearing some of the stories it occurred to me these are different.


My hopes and wishes go out to the friends and family of those who have died.
 
60+km/h in some cases there mate. But It is sad that I guy on a motorcycle burned 50m before reaching the fire truck...damn unlucky. The fires in some places were 10ks away so people just assumed that they had at least 70 or so minutes to get out but the fire was there in about 2 minutes. Crazy stuff.
 
Hats off to Cohen.

Approx. $31 million (aus) has been raised so far. This is a fantastic effort.

Coles Supermarkets will donate all profits made on this Friday to the appeal. Also the One Day International Cricket game in Adelaide last night was an appeal raiser as-well.

I am sure there are many more businessess and organisations out there pulling there resources together. I also heard Mobile Phone providers were giving those that lost theirs, new one's.

A couple of survivor stories I heard.
1) A mother and two children climbed into a wombat burrow.
2) A bloke climbed in to a storm water drain (with spiders, rats and god knows what else), had to then roll over and over to keep wet, because the fire started to come down the drain.


On a sad note. Confirmation of 181 people lost, and it's said, the total could top 300 now.
 
I heard of a story on Fox FM where a couple of guys hid in a water tank.

The cricket match raised $6,000,000, and Fox FM/TripleM raised $2,000,000.

$8,000,000 in one day.
 
waggles
I heard of a story on Fox FM where a couple of guys hid in a water tank.
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Very lucky to make it. People did the same during Ash Wednesday, but did not make it.
 
Maybe because these guys were in a concrete tank.
 
That makes more sense, I thought you meant a metal tank...

Still must be really damn hot in there.
 
Pretty much my ENTIRE family is currently flying to Melbourne. :nervous:
 
Open Addict
Coles Supermarkets will donate all profits made on this Friday to the appeal.
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Yep, that's why I'm shopping tomorrow. So every one who's an Aussie member on this site....I don't care what it is for, but do your shopping at Coles tomorrow, stock your cupboards a little bit more to help with the donations, or even buy 1 pack of Coles wafers or a bottle of Coke, it all counts.
 
Already done.
 
FoolKiller
How fast are these things moving along? Usually when you hear of something like this people that die are ones that tried to stay behind and save property and were overtaken by smoke inhalation in the progress. But now I hear about a guy getting overtaken while on his motorcycle?

The death toll is much higher than usual and I highly doubt that the victims are suddenly to blame.

I'll admit until recently I haven't been paying much attention because wild fires are an annual thing in certain areas of the US. But as I started hearing some of the stories it occurred to me these are different.


My hopes and wishes go out to the friends and family of those who have died.
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legendary724
60+km/h in some cases there mate. But It is sad that I guy on a motorcycle burned 50m before reaching the fire truck...damn unlucky. The fires in some places were 10ks away so people just assumed that they had at least 70 or so minutes to get out but the fire was there in about 2 minutes. Crazy stuff.
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Yeah, that is pretty crazy stuff. But still, it's got me skeptical. Don't take this the wrong way, but fatalities from fires over in California are pretty rare. The fire crews are constantly updating their predictions and evacuating people from a huge radius, sometimes entire towns that might be 15 miles away. Obviously the fires in Victoria are moving crazy fast (that is pretty wicked fast) but still, it seems like people would know how fast they were moving because they would get told on the news, or by fire crews, or something. Why aren't they evacuating people from the entire area? These people should have moved away a week ago when this stuff started, but they're still in their homes thinking they've got plenty of time. Is there no communication in these areas? It's sounds pretty ridiculous.

But it is too bad people got caught up in the stuff. Hopefully the ones that are still raging get put under control very soon.
 
mafia_boy
Yep, that's why I'm shopping tomorrow. So every one who's an Aussie member on this site....I don't care what it is for, but do your shopping at Coles tomorrow, stock your cupboards a little bit more to help with the donations, or even buy 1 pack of Coles wafers or a bottle of Coke, it all counts.
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Extremly lucky for me, my monthly shopping day happens to be Friday. and I spend around $1000.00. Maybe I spend a little more if I can.


Keef
Yeah, that is pretty crazy stuff. But still, it's got me skeptical. Don't take this the wrong way, but fatalities from fires over in California are pretty rare. The fire crews are constantly updating their predictions and evacuating people from a huge radius, sometimes entire towns that might be 15 miles away. Obviously the fires in Victoria are moving crazy fast (that is pretty wicked fast) but still, it seems like people would know how fast they were moving because they would get told on the news, or by fire crews, or something. Why aren't they evacuating people from the entire area? These people should have moved away a week ago when this stuff started, but they're still in their homes thinking they've got plenty of time. Is there no communication in these areas? It's sounds pretty ridiculous.

But it is too bad people got caught up in the stuff. Hopefully the ones that are still raging get put under control very soon.
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When the deaths started coming in it was two days after the fires had started. They didn't have a week to get out.

Also does not help when the fire is moving in one direction and then 2 minuets later it is moving in completely different direction.


Here's a link to show you the current situation of how much has been affected.
 
You guys must be hacing some pretty crazy winds and stuff. California fires are usually predictable because they deal with them all the time. Are there any news reports posted up on Youtube or some new articles to read?
 
On the worst day (lets not forget that the fires are still going) it was 118F and 50mph+ winds. There was actually a video on the news of a fire racing up a hill. Its probably on youtube.
 
Keef, the type of environment that we have and the conditions we've gone through (worst drought in 100yrs at the moment) make all the grass and trees like kindling and as soon as a spark or ember appears (from a lighter or cigarette butt), it lights it all up and WOOF, you have a bushfire within minutes.

Hopefully, the fires get mostly contained before the temperatures pick up again in 5-6 days.
 
Casio
On the worst day (lets not forget that the fires are still going) it was 118F and 50mph+ winds. There was actually a video on the news of a fire racing up a hill. Its probably on youtube.
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I saw that clip and I was like...wow. It's amazing how the wind can drive the fire forward like that, and the stuff is so dry that it'll catch fire and burn up instantly. I also didn't realize how flat it is in Melbourne. The fires don't just go up the valleys in the mountains, they go everywhere in every direction. Wicked.
 
Keef
You guys must be hacing some pretty crazy winds and stuff. California fires are usually predictable because they deal with them all the time. Are there any news reports posted up on Youtube or some new articles to read?
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Plenty of news articles on it Keef.

http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&nolr=1&q=Victoria+bushfires

The wind is a massive problem but as a few have mentioned, the droughts that we have been experiencing are probably the main offenders in the sense that pretty much all the vegetation is that dry, that not much is required to set it all off. Also some of the fires where recorded moving at up to 100km/h in certain areas and with people living in remote locations, it is difficult to mount an evacuation, especially when they are taken by surprise.

I believe general policy is to allow residents to stay and fight fires on their property, I’ve been out with a hose, watering down my house before in a (successful) attempt to keep embers that drift across from a near by bush fire from burning my house down.
 
mafia_boy
Keef, the type of environment that we have and the conditions we've gone through (worst drought in 100yrs at the moment) make all the grass and trees like kindling and as soon as a spark or ember appears (from a lighter or cigarette butt), it lights it all up and WOOF, you have a bushfire within minutes.

Hopefully, the fires get mostly contained before the temperatures pick up again in 5-6 days.
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Yeah, there have also been in the past bushfires created by sparks off of an electric angle grinder. Once it has become so dry and hot, allmost anything can set off a blaze.

Here, Here for the containment before the temp rises.
 
To better describe how little rain we've had for the past year, I took this picture of the Cricket/Footy oval at my work.

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It's pretty much now just sand and straw. It used to be a vibrant green. That colour is the grass of the whole of Victoria, which is why everything just catches alight.

And because of the water restrictions in Victoria, people are not allowed to water their garden, or anything outside, so everyone has a yard like this.
 
That's where we are headed if we don't get more rain. :(

You Aussie's should look into desalination if you haven't already... You guys are SURROUNDED by salt water... take advantage of it.
 
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