BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Australia Bushfires in Vic, NSW & SA

It has been confirmed that there have been 65 people killed in the wildfires in the state of Victoria - and the toll is expected to rise as firefighters come across burnt out homes and cars.

The situation is not quite so dire in New South Wales and South Australia.

Too add insult to everything, far north Queensland is currently under water!

These wildfires have done more damage than the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983. In the Victorian town of Marysville, 95% of the town has been destroyed, and this seems to have been copied throughout Victoria. The tragedy of Marysville is that in a town of 600, 10 people have been killed.

In the coming days, please add these people to your prayers and thoughts.

What a difference between two areas - Australia has been suffering from drought.

It is beyond tragic what has happened in Victoria. As stated in one news article: "The fireballs that engulfed the eucalyptus-covered hills of Victoria's High Country burnt 1,500 square miles of land and destroyed more than 1,800 houses in a matter of hours."

Official death count is at 181, but they expect that to rise to 300, as they are still searching Marysville, Kingslake, and other regions. About 100 people died in Marysville (a popular resort destination) and the entire town was destroyed. Kingslake was also nearly wiped out, and many other areas were devastatingly hit. They also estimate the number of wildlife killed to be around 1 million.

Beechworth was also hard hit in the fires in that region.

It's simple horrifying and tragic. I wanted to weep when I heard. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with everyone there.

A friend mentioned that the fires were unbelievably hot. She said the radiant heat was 1000C and that cars melted. Eucalyptus is oil and it just exploded. Is that what happened?

Just thought I might update this for those who were wondering. What has happened here is just so sad :( Both fires and floods have devestated many parts of Australia, but Victoria is still battling what has proven to be the most horrific and terrifying natural disaster in our nations history. Currently as it stands, at least 2,029 homes have been destroyed, and 210 people confirmed dead with at least 37 still missing. There are still fires burning and several communities are still at risk. The amazing part of this story is the wonderful Aussie Spirit that has proved overwhelming, with millions of dollars in donations so far, some of which are also flowing in from overseas. Please keep Victoria in your prayers and thoughts.

Fires such as this are horrendous. California has them all too frequently although not as fatal as the one you have experienced.

The spirit of the people as they pull together is what makes the bonds that tie a nation together strong.

Angie, you are so right, it is in the face of adversity that a nation is strengthened. We also see coverage over here of the California fires, and other tragedies that strike your country. I remember watching the Katrina news coverage with tears in my eyes, and still today we hear of the hardship still faced in that area :( I pray that all those affected by such horror find peace and comfort at the other end of their hardship!

About Katrina. It was a terrible disaster. I was being facetious at one point when I asked someone if they had thought about how many people may have been praying for an opportunity to leave New Orleans and God answered the prayer. The many people who relocated, I have wondered how they are doing. Last year, there was a homeless man staying at our church for the week and he was originally from N.O. He came to Virginia to visit his family and for one reason or another, he left there and had no where to go.

I will be honest, I was ticked when I read that the folks in the Netherlands had offered to come and assist in building a levi and we didn't take them up on it. They are the master builders of levies in Holland.