Twenty-six people are confirmed dead and the toll is expected to rise in Victoria's worst bushfires since Ash Wednesday.

The number of dead is expected to reach more than 40 as blazes continue to ravage the state with more than 100,000 hectares affected as 3000 firefighters struggle to contain seven major firefronts.

Police have confirmed that 12 people were killed in fires at Kinglake and Kinglake west, four in Wandong, four in St Andrews, three in Humevale, one in Bendigo, one in Strathewen and one in Arthurs Creek.

Authorities began the grim search for bodies this morning following Saturday's devastating bushfires. Police expect the death toll to surpass 40.

Most of the confirmed deaths were in towns northwest of Melbourne including at Kinglake where six people were killed in one car.

The CFA expects that hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Among the properties destroyed were the Marysville and Kinglake police stations.

Police said they did not know if the age of those killed in the fires but it was expected that some children were among the dead.


http://www.theage.com.au/...-80jv.html

wow ...

They are worse than the ones in 2003



haven't got a satellite photo yet for 2009

i read that some of them were lit on purpose but i don't know which ones, brisbane i think.

awful either way

in a car??? nooooo
so many dead! what's going on?!

emm said:

just read 65 dead. will post link

Nine news

The death toll from Victoria's bushfires has risen to 65, police say.

Ten people remain in a critical condition in hospital after being burnt in the Victorian bushfires.

A spokesman from Melbourne's The Alfred hospital said 10 patients were in a critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

A further 10 were in a stable condition.

The spokesman said the hospital had received two new patients from the Austin Hospital on Sunday.

He said no one at The Alfred had died from the fire.

Five people died at Flowerdale, two people at Hazeldene and three at Taggerty, while two more people were confirmed dead at Kinglake and a further person died at St Andrews.

A person from Yea died in hospital.

The figure surpasses the 47 Victorians that died in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires.

Victoria Police announced nine deaths from the Churchill fire in the Gippsland region in Victoria's east, while hundreds of homes have been destroyed across the state.

Four people have been killed in the Gippsland town of Callignee and one more in Upper Callignee, three have died in Hazelwood and one at Jeeralang.

The four killed in Callignee were believed to be found in the same car.

The other 25 deaths were all to the north of Melbourne - one in the major regional city of Bendigo and the rest from the massive blaze around Kinglake.

Six were killed at Kinglake, six at Kinglake West, four at Wandong and St Andrews, three at Humevale, and one in Arthurs Creek.

The ages and sex of the deceased is not known in all cases, however police expect that some of the lives lost will include children.

"We are sadly predicting more deaths," Victoria's police chief commissioner Christine Nixon told reporters in Kangaroo Ground in the fire-ravaged Yarra Valley.

Premier John Brumby said at least 20 people were in The Alfred hospital in Melbourne suffering serious burns.

Touring the firegrounds with the premier and chief commissioner, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a joint federal-state $10 million emergency relief fund for the victims.

He said emergency Centrelink payments are available to those needing immediate financial assistance.

"Hell and all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours," Mr Rudd said.

"Many good people now lie dead. Many others lie injured.

"This is an appalling tragedy for Victoria but, because of that, it's an appalling tragedy for the nation."

More than 20 fires continued to burn across Victoria on Sunday after horrific heat and wind on Saturday set the state ablaze.

Virtually the entire township of Marysville in the Yarra Valley was destroyed overnight as the East Kilmore and Murrindindi Mill fires merged into a massive 120,000 hectare inferno, now known as the Kinglake Complex.

"Marysville I understand, there's only one building left in the town," said local federal MP Fran Bailey.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) said there had been "significant structure losses" in the town, but everyone had been safely evacuated to the local sports ground, Gallipoli Park.

Emergency response crews were having difficulty accessing the town due to fallen trees blocking roads, but ABC Radio is reporting that people have now been evacuated in a convoy from Gallipoli Park to staging areas.

In Gippsland, more than 500 firefighters were battling to control two major blazes.

The Churchill blaze has a footprint of 90,000 hectares and had burnt almost all the way to the coast on Sunday, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) spokesman Stuart Ord said.

The fire has spotted right through to Yarram in South Gippsland, Mr Ord said.

More than 200,000 hectares of private and crown land has been burnt out, while flame and smoke-choked roads are littered with deserted cars.

The town of Glenburn northwest of Melbourne has been placed on alert with the Kilmore bushfire encroaching on the area, but the threat to the Beechworth area in northeastern Victoria has eased.

Mr Brumby said volunteer firefighters and aircraft were coming in from NSW and South Australia, while the Australian army will also be brought in to help.

Mr Rudd said the nation's prayers are with those affected by the fires.

"Our first response as human beings is one of the deepest empathy for people whose lives have now been devastated," Mr Rudd said.

"This loss of life, the numbers of injured, the horrific injuries, our thoughts and our prayers go out to each and every one of them as they now try and deal with this tragedy and recover from the damage which has occurred."

66 now, they reckon it will be more than 100

They just said on the news that they have arrested a 31 year old male for lighting some of them

Stay safe Aussie orgers. Thinking of all of you.

It's also sad to think of all the wildlife being burnt alive. I can't believe some of these were done on purpose. It makes me sick.

84 now

Former Nine news presenter Brian Naylor and his wife have been killed by the fires

stay safe victorian orgers. And those in nsw heat/fires & queensland floods. What a terrible week 4 australia. i have never seen my husband cry watching the news, today he was sobbing. We both feel so helpless, the loss of life is hard to comprehend. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those effected.
[Edited 2/8/09 4:08am]

Apparently, the fires reached Whittlesea, that's like 2 hours or so from where I live....

wow i just heard about this stuff...victoria is my home state, so sad to hear.

Brian Naylor?? NO WAY!

I gotta catch up on this news...

purplesweat said:

i couldn't understand why so many were dead. was it the smoke? but now i've read and understand.
the complete chaos. the sheer panic. utter helplessness. this is just so terribly tragic.

terror roared over family...ing to die

What a tragedy... my heartfelt condolences to all my Aussie orgers... stay safe!

incomprehensible.

108. half the state of victoria now a crime scene. (sunrise morning news). The horror those poor ppl must have gone thru.
[Edited 2/8/09 11:29am]

prb said:

How tragic

red cross fire appeal: 1800 811 700 www.redcross.org.au
[Edited 2/8/09 11:48am]

Blessings to all, this is so sad!

MrsMdiver said:

Yes it is. It looks like a war zone on tv i cant begin to imagine what it must be like there poor poor ppl
[Edited 2/8/09 11:56am]

emm said:

that is so horrible

purplesweat said: