FIRE! ...in Australia (NASA pic)

[underpants]

This image provided by NASA shows a large plume of smoke spreading southward from a fire (outlined in red) that appears to be burning in a small area of forest west of Churchill in Victoria's Gippsland region. The forest is dark green in contrast to the surrounding grass or cropland. Raging wildfires swept through southeastern Australia on Saturday Feb. 7, 2009 as gale force winds and scorching temperatures combined into a deadly inferno that killed at least 14 people, officials said. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite was captured on Jan. 30, 2009.(AP Photo/NASA) Sat Feb 7, 11:07 AM ET

Raging wildfires kill at least 14 in Australia

By ROHAN SULLIVAN – 1 hour ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlUCqDbfvOMgcnOmIjSnqFNni6iQD966QLAG0

SYDNEY (AP) — Walls of flame roared across southeastern Australia on Saturday, razing scores of homes along with forests and farmland in the sunburned country's worst wildfire disaster in a quarter century. At least 14 people died and the toll could rise to more than 40, police said.

Witnesses described seeing trees exploding and skies raining ash as some of the hottest temperatures on record combined with raging winds to create perfect conditions for uncontrollable blazes.

More than 30,000 firefighters were struggling Saturday night to make headway against the largest of about a dozen fires in Victoria state that earlier in the day ripped unchecked across at least 115 square miles (30,000 hectares) of forests, farmland and towns.

"The whole township is pretty much on fire," Peter Mitchell, a resident of Kinglake, where six of the 14 confirmed deaths occurred, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio during the inferno. "There was no time to do anything ... it came through in minutes."

Victorian Premier John Brumby, whose parents' house was among those saved by firefighters Saturday, said the death toll was expected to rise "considerably."

"It's been, I think, the worst day in our history," he said.

[Hoopla Phil]

1. Cool picture

[librechik]

2. Condolences to Australia

what a horrible story

My son is living in Victoria, in Melbourne. I'll talk to him later today.


The forest and mountains outside the city are so beautiful.
It's a catastrophe, for sure.

[renate]

3. OMG--30,000 firefighters?

How awful.

Climate change is getting so scary... :scared:. Good luck to our Aussie friends--I'm so sorry to read about this and I hope the fires are extinguished soon, though it won't be soon enough for the people who died and whose homes were destroyed. :cry:

[canetoad]

4. Thanks for posting underpants

This fire is about 200km east of me and it looks dangerous. It was a scary day yesterday.

[underpants]

5. Good luck