Australians prepare for Friday “Nightmare”

Still reeling from the shock of Black Saturday, when the deadliest brushfires in their country’s history claimed 200 lives, Australians, who faced floods after the fires, must now worry about “Horror Friday”. Firefighters have been able to cope with fires still burning, but searing temperatures and tinderbox dry circumstances are expected to provide the perfect storm on Friday.

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Overseas firefighters have been drafted to join the massive state-wide effort to deal with what Victoria’s Department of sustainability and Environment (DSE) spokesman Stuart Ord describes as what is going to be “a very different day”. “Apart from the existing fires, there’s every chance of new problems arising,” Ord said. Temperatures are expected to soar to 38 degrees celsius powered by strong and changing winds. Overnight, firefighters got a break from relatively mild conditions and high humidity helped them continue containment work on blazes including the 2,800-hectare Muskvale-Hogans Road fire at Daylesford, and the Upwey fire in the Dandenong Ranges, both of which broke out earlier this week. “Incident controllers said they were close to containing the Daylesford fire but more work was needed to keep on top of the Upwey fire. ([url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au]http://news.ninemsn.com.au[/url], Feb. 25. 2009). “Fire crews also would continue to concentrate on the Murrindindi and Wilsons Promontory bushfires.”

"The fires are out of control again..."

“We don’t expect ember attacks on any communities around the main fires today unless there’s a spot-over somewhere and we’ll jump on that very quickly.” Homeowners, who survived 400 fires that reduced entire towns to blackened ruins, nervously await “Horror Friday”. “The fires are out of control again and there is one very close to Melbourne and a house was lost today,” Shirlee Finn told Canada Free Press yesterday. “An area that was declared OK to clear, has now been closed off again, as more bones have been found. “It is just so awful, it doesn’t bear thinking about.” “We have had severe fires before,” said Mrs. Finn, “though this is the worst they have ever been. “Normally if a person has taken all the necessary precautions, they can stay in their house and the fire passes over really quickly. This time the fire was described as a whirlwind and people could not get out of their homes.” Adding to the unease is the knowledge that some of the 400 fires were deliberately set, or had been helped to jump containment lines. The incinerated towns, where bones are still being discovered, have been declared as “crime scenes”. Mike Rann, the South Australian Premier, described the arsonists as “terrorists” and the “enemy within”. Fresh crews are expected to arrive in Victoria today and Thursday, with 75 from NSW, 20 from Western Australia and 55 New Zealand firefighters battling the blazes. “The next two days, we’ll be preparing for the very bad day on Friday,” says Ord. “Apart from existing fires, there’s every chance of new problems arising.”

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