Towns Devastated as Fires Burn Through State

The Australian state of Victoria is ravaged as uncontrollable fires rip through the state. Homes and properties have been destroyed in towns such as Horsham, Wandong, Labertouche, Kinglake, and Kilmore East.

Today was also the hottest day on record, as the mercury rose to a record-breaking 46.4C (114F). This, along with the past two weeks' heatwave, dried out the state, making it highly vulnerable to major bush fires.

The Country Fire Association (CFA) has reported at least 30 homes, one golf club, and one firetruck have been destroyed. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, John Haynes, said "It is pretty well every part of the state except the far northwest". He also said that there may be more to come.

The state is under panic as family members are trapped in towns which have been terrorised by the fires. A family in the town of Kinglake watched their house burn down as they stood on the street with the rest of the township. Many houses in Kilmore East were also destroyed, as people fled to towns in the Macedon Ranges for relief.

The temperature has now dropped to an average of the mid-twenties, and we're all hoping that the cool change will bring an end to the fires. The wind has settled from 100 km/h. There are also strong thunderstorms over parts of the fires, causing more devastation.

A volunteer firefighter has also been seriously burned, sustaining burns to over fifty per cent of his body, after trying to put out one of the ten fires. The man was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Fourteen people have been killed due to today's fires, with fears of a total 40 being dead.

(Sourced from www.news.com.au)
(Image from www.bigpond.com)