As I’m sure most of you have seen in the news the last few days, there have been some terrible wildfires raging in the bush in the Australian state of Victoria. Bushfires in Australia are an annual occurrence in summertime, and are always tough to battle because of the explosive flammability of eucalyptus trees, which are ubiquitous in the landscape Down Under. Perpetual drought and recent record heat (118 F last week in Melbourne) have made for tinder-dry vegetation in southeast Australia, not helping matters. This meant that any potential fire would likely grow very large and unmanageable quite rapidly, which only makes it all the more unconscionable that at least some of these deadly fires appear to have been started by arsonists.
I first read about the fires on Saturday night, and at that point I believe 103 were confirmed dead. Now, as of this writing, 181 people are confirmed dead, and the death toll is expected to approach or even exceed 300. This is by far the deadliest wildfire outbreak in Australian history, far exceeding the 71 deaths in the Black Friday fires in Victoria in 1939, and the 75 deaths in the Ash Wednesday fires in Victoria and South Australia in 1983. When I read about the fires, which are mostly to the north and to the east of Melbourne, I immediately thought of all my friends who live in and around Mel. I emailed them on Sunday night, and have gotten a few responses so far. Being half a world away, it’s easy not to put a human face on the story, so I thought I’d summarize what I’ve heard from my friends so far here, all living in suburbs of Melbourne:
—Joel & Rosey (Blackburn, VIC): Fine, not in danger, but they have friends who have lost friends in the fires.
—Rob & Simone (Notting Hill, VIC): Fine, not in danger.
—James & Ali (Narre Warren, VIC): Fine, not in danger personally. Their suburb has lost about a dozen homes to fires in the last couple weeks, but no fires are currently threatening the suburb. Ali is Head of Campus at a country school that is on high alert because of fires in the vicinity. Several families at that school have lost property, livestock and pets. James is Chaplain at a local P-12 school, and several families at that school have lost property or loved ones.
—Simon (Frankston, VIC): Fine, not in danger, but also knows people who have lost friends or family in the fires.
—Connie (Doncaster, VIC): Fine, not in danger, but several people from her church have been directly affected by the fires, or know people who have perished in them.
—Kieran & Emily (North Balwyn, VIC): Fine, not in danger, but know people who went home from work one day to find nothing left.
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If I hear from other friends, I’ll add those to the list. [Connie’s info added 7:30am Wed 11 Feb. Kieran & Emily’s info added 7:10pm Wed 11 Feb.]
I’m glad to hear that all my friends seem to be okay and safe, but it’s sad to hear that they all know people who lost possessions or are grieving the loss of loved ones. In addition to having friends who are only one or two degrees of separation removed from people who have been directly impacted by the fires, and on top of the staggering death toll, I’ve been affected by these fires because they’ve ravaged some areas that I’ve traveled through. For instance, the first 2-3 days that I was in Aus were spent at IFSA-Butler orientation in Cathedral Range State Forest. That’s less than 10 km north of Marysville, one of two towns that have been completely wiped off the map by fires. Currently the death toll at Marysville stands at 15, but that is expected to rise to around 100 as forensic teams make their grim searches through the charred ruins of the town. Some victims might never be positively identified, they say… It’s just an absolutely horrific, unimaginable situation. I’ve also driven through the areas of Gippsland (a region of green rolling pastureland east of Melbourne) that have been charred by arson-lit fires. I also visited a wildlife sanctuary in Healesville, a town that’s very near one of the fires. There’s also been a fire burning in Wilson’s Promontory National Park, where I spent several days hiking and camping.
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For a map of where fatalities have been confirmed thus far, click here.
For a collection of photos from the wildfires, click here.
For continuous updates and stories about the fires, visit The Australian and The Age.
Authorities are now concerned that two of the biggest fires will merge into one giant fire. It could be some time before these fires are brought under control, especially with hot weather returning by the weekend. Please pray for God’s comfort for all the people who have lost property or loved ones in the fires, that God’s sovereignty would be shown through this disaster, and that He would bring rain to extinguish the fires.