Hell's Fury
The warnings came a week in advance. Saturday Feb 7, 2009 would be the hottest day ever recorded in Victoria, dry wild winds would rage and fires would blister the landscape.
At 2pm on Saturday, the thermometer outside my home nestled in the forested mountains overlooking Melbourne registered 115 degrees (46.4 C). Winds whipped the window awnings causing them to snap and pop like sails on a yacht at high seas. Smoke from nearby fires choked the valley and obscured the afternoon sun but provided no respite from the intensity of its heat. Our Mountain home with its flat tin roof proved to be more oven than hospice. We all gathered semi-naked around the single air conditioner for comfort.
We watched as Elvis, the giant Erickson S-64 Air-Crane Helitanker traverse across our windows, back and forth, carrying water to nearby bush fires. And we listened with trepidation for the local volunteer fire station’s alarm to sound and we waited for winds to change, to bring back the familiar cool mountain breeze.
Luckily for us and our neighbours, the fires did not reach our valley. But more than1000 other families were not so lucky. They have lost their homes and some, more than 136 at this stage, lost their lives.
The fires still burn and no doubt more will experience loss and grief. Our hearts go out to those who have lost and suffered.
