Het verschilt... er zijn namelijk meerdere grote branden. De meeste doden zijn gevallen door een brand met een front van zo'n 100km die de meeste dorpen ten noorden van Melbourne heeft weggevaagd.quote:Op maandag 9 februari 2009 08:10 schreef Keltie het volgende:
Dacht ergens dat het vermoeden was dat 1 van de brandhaarden was aangestoken?
Is er uberhaupt iets bekend over de oorzaak van dit alles? (heb niet zo heel veel erover gelezen oid).
En er is blijkbaar ook een brand veroorzaakt door een sigaret... Ach ja het probleem is natuurlijk dat alles en alles kurk droog is. Een fire index van 50 wordt gezien als extreem en zaterdag werd de 400 bereikt.quote:Op maandag 9 februari 2009 08:50 schreef someyahoo het volgende:
Op het nieuws werd gezegd dat evt de fires in Churchill aangestoken zouden zijn, branden in Narre Warren zoouden veroorzaakt zijn door iemand met een angle grinder.
http://www.news.com.au/he(...)25031603-661,00.htmlquote:UPDATE 1.35am: WHOLE towns have been declared crime scenes as the toll from Victoria's worst natural disaster leapt to 166.
Als je dan bezig bent met de dijk bij Nijmegen, dan kan de dijk bij Valburg ook doorbreken.quote:Op maandag 9 februari 2009 11:29 schreef Elfletterig het volgende:
Wat ik wel vreemd vind, is hoe onvoorbereid de autoriteiten lijken te zijn. Gisteren in het journaal werd er bericht over een compleet dorp dat van de kaart geveegd is, omdat de brandweer van het dorp massaal elders aan de slag was. Je zou toch verwachten dat dergelijke regio's ervaring hebben met bosbranden en dat ze optimaal zijn voorbereid op bosbranden, net zoals wij weten welke scenario's in werking treden bij een dijkdoorbraak...
quote:Australia counts deadly fire toll
The number of deaths from bushfires that have already claimed 170 lives in the Australian state of Victoria is likely to rise, officials have warned. Police believe some of the fires were started deliberately - actions which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said amounted to "mass murder".
Survivors have recounted how they fled walls of flames. Some people died in their cars trying to escape the fires. Some rural towns have been completely destroyed. Police have sealed off a number of sites, including the devastated small town of Maryville, as possible crime scenes. Victoria State Premier John Brumby said: "We have had whole communities just completely wiped out, completely obliterated, by what people would describe as literally a fireball that just came over the hills and devoured everything before them. "It's the largest natural disaster in our state's history and Australia's history."
Scorching temperatures, drought, tinder-dry bush and constantly-changing wind directions on Saturday helped fan the blazes, affecting an area of some 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles). Temperatures dropped and conditions improved on Monday to help the tens of thousands of firefighters, backed by soldiers, bring the fires under control. But there were around 30 fires still burning in Victoria with several communities at risk, officials said. More than 700 homes have been destroyed. Two other states - New South Wales and South Australia - have also been hit by blazes, but the fires there are said to be largely contained or burning away from residential areas. Forecasters warn temperatures could rise again later.
Shocking stories are emerging from survivors in the worst-hit areas. The BBC's Nick Bryant, at a relief centre in the hamlet of Whittlesea near the devastated town of Kinglake, said people thought they had hours when in fact they only had minutes to escape the fast advancing flames. Some described escaping down roads lined with burning trees, while their cars caught fire in the furnace-like heat. One man said he siphoned off the water from his vehicle's radiator to try to save the life of a neighbour who had been set alight.
Kinglake resident Thomas Legrary described finding a neighbour with up to 50% burns on his body. They put him in the swimming pool to keep him cool. Elsewhere in Kinglake, Jack Barber and his wife fled just ahead of the flames but found their escape route blocked by fallen power lines and trees. They took shelter at a school, but that also caught fire. They then ran to an exposed cricket ground ringed by trees where they found five other people. "All around us were 100ft (30m) flames ringing the oval and we ran where the wind wasn't. It was swirling all over the place. For three hours, we dodged the wind," Mr Barber said.
Hospitals have been dealing with a number of badly-burned people. "[Here] it has been very busy. We've been treating firemen with burns, and sadly getting lots of dead on arrivals," Karen Farthing, a nurse at a Victoria hospital, told the BBC News website. A former Melbourne newsreader, Brian Naylor, and his wife were among those killed on Saturday when the flames took hold in the Kinglake district.
Search for friends
Many residents of fire-ravaged towns are now involved in a desperate search for friends and relatives missing since the flames tore through the tiny communities. The bodies of people have already been found trapped in the burnt-out wreckage of cars and homes, and investigators fear more will be found when a full search of the charred settlements can be carried out.
Prime Minister Rudd announced an aid package of A$10m ($7m, £4.5m). He said immediate cash payments would be available for victims, and announced the army would help in the recovery efforts. An emotional Mr Rudd described as "numbing" the numbers of dead, and warned: "I fear they will rise further." Asked about suspicions that arsonists were responsible for at least some of the fires, he said: "There are no words to describe it other than mass murder."
Australia's federal parliament was suspended to mark what Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard described "as one of the darkest days in Australia's history". Meanwhile, Victoria Premier Mr Brumby has ordered a thorough review into the long-standing policy on dealing with wildfires. He admitted that the advice to residents - to evacuate early or stay and defend their homes - had on this occasion not worked.
Australia's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, has spoken of her "shock and sadness" at the number of deaths, and has praised the extraordinary work of the emergency crews at the scene. The British and New Zealand governments have both offered to help deal with the fires.
The Australian Red Cross, which has about 400 volunteers working in Victoria, has launched an appeal for donations. Relatives concerned about family members in the affected areas can contact the Australian Red Cross 24-hour helpline on (0061) 393283716 or, from the UK, the British Red Cross international tracing and message service on 0845 053 2004.
Bush fires are common in Australia, but the current blazes have eclipsed the death toll from what had been the previous worst fire in 1983, when 75 people died on a day that became known as Ash Wednesday.
AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES
16 February 1983: 75 dead, 2,300 homes destroyed in "Ash Wednesday" bushfires in Victoria and South Australia
8 January 1969: At least 22 dead, 230 homes lost in rural Victoria
7 February 1967: 62 dead, 1,300 homes destroyed in fires in Hobart, Tasmania
13 January 1939: 71 dead, 700 homes destroyed in "Black Friday" fires in Victoria
February - March 1922: 60 die in Gippsland, eastern Victoria
De mensen wachten vaak tot het laatste moment met het idee dat de vuur toch niet bij hun huis komt of dat de brandweer toch op tijd komt.quote:Op maandag 9 februari 2009 21:04 schreef popolon het volgende:
Lijkt wel of alles en iedereen compleet is overvallen, heel vreemd.
Veel huizen plat zeg, zou zo tornado alley kunnen zijn met al die spaanplaten.
Autoriteiten waren wel degelijk voorbereid, al jaren spoort de CFA mensen aan om hun fire plans te ontwikkelen en in werking te stellen, al jaren is CFA bezig met strategieen en scenario's.quote:Op maandag 9 februari 2009 11:29 schreef Elfletterig het volgende:
Wat ik wel vreemd vind, is hoe onvoorbereid de autoriteiten lijken te zijn. Gisteren in het journaal werd er bericht over een compleet dorp dat van de kaart geveegd is, omdat de brandweer van het dorp massaal elders aan de slag was. Je zou toch verwachten dat dergelijke regio's ervaring hebben met bosbranden en dat ze optimaal zijn voorbereid op bosbranden, net zoals wij weten welke scenario's in werking treden bij een dijkdoorbraak...
Zal wel een soort heksenjacht worden.quote:POLICE are hunting down the arsonist believed to have been responsible for lighting the worst of the Victoria fires.
Police have confirmed that they believe they know the identity of the man who allegedly contributed to the Churchill-Jeeralang blaze in Gippsland. Twenty-one people have died in that region.
But the Country Fire Authority said the firefront could have included towns further north, including Kinglake, St Andrews and Strathewen, where dozens more died in the firestorm.
It's expected police will release an image in the next couple of days of a man sought for questioning over the fires.
"We'll soon be in a position to provide face images of people we believe responsible," Morwell Detective Sergeant Brett Kahan said.
quote:Warning against bushfire scammers
QUEENSLAND police are investigating reports of scammers claiming to be collecting money for the Victorian bushfire appeal.
Police have received two reports of people trying to sell raffle tickets and asking for donations on the Gold and Sunshine coasts.
Deputy Commissioner Kathy Rynders said it was almost unbelievable.
"Anyone who attempts to impersonate a charity worker faces up to five years in prison,'' she said.
Ms Rynders said the safest way for people to donate to the appeal was through the Red Cross, or at their local bank
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25038874-1243,00.htmlquote:FIREFIGHTERS in Victoria have used cool, relatively calm conditions to try to bolster control lines around bushfires ahead of predicted warm, windy hot weather later in the week.
Dozens of towns were on alert for ember attack last night as the death toll from Australia's worst-ever bushfires climbed to 181.
More than 4000 firefighters, including hundreds from interstate, still have their hands full with 23 fires out of control and 10 others contained but still burning strongly within control lines.
Threats have eased to towns near the Beechworth fire in the state's northeast, around Healesville on Melbourne's outer eastern fringe, and from the Bunyip Ridge and Churchill-Jeeralang fires in Gippsland.
With up to 80 people still missing, Victorian Premier John Brumby said the official toll for the Victoria fires would rise to over 200.
"There's still a large number of people ... and essentially these are people who the coroner believes are already deceased, but are not yet identified,'' Mr Brumby said.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine director Professor Stephen Cordner said identification would be impossible to achieve in some cases.
With most of the affected townships still being treated as crime scenes, many remain off-limits to residents.
Assistant Commissioner Dannye Moloney said he was close to releasing a photofit of a suspected arsonist operating in the Churchill area in Gippsland just days before last
Het genoemde plaatsje Marysville is omringd door bergen vol met bomen. Is maar 1 weg die door het dorp loopt en uitweg kan bieden bij een brand...quote:Death toll
Victoria Police Commissioner Christine Nixon has warned the State Coroner is prepared for as many as 300 bodies, amid fears many people will not be able to be identified.
While the official death toll stands at 181, it is believed up to 100 people have died at Marysville alone. Only eight have so far been counted as part of the official death toll.
The intense heat from debris, such as collapsed roofs, has hampered the search for bodies. Forensic investigators began heading into Marysville only yesterday.
"As we gain access to locations we then are discovering more bodies," Ms Nixon said.
"The identification stage for us will take a long time. In some cases we will not be able to identify people because of the fire."
Police have begun a slow, methodical search of the worst-affected areas, searching street by street and house by house. "We are gradually making our way into areas and there are some that are blocked off that we haven't been able to get through," Ms Nixon said.
Collapsed roofs are a big problem, with 85 per cent of houses in Marysville collapsed.
"In the Marysville area, for example, there could be between 50 and 100 lives finally lost there," Premier John Brumby said.
A death toll of 100 would represent one-fifth of Marysville's population, a catastrophic tally in a town of just 519 people.
"There are still deceased persons in homes, and despite a big police, Metropolitan Fire Brigade and army presence in Marysville, they've still not been able to identify and remove all bodies," Mr Brumby said.
quote:300 doden gevreesd in Australië
SYDNEY - In Australië zijn de bosbranden na bijna een week nog lang niet onder controle. Op zo'n dertig plekken vechten brandweerlieden nog tegen het vuur, meldden Australische media donderdag (lokale tijd).
Tot nu toe zijn 181 (verkoolde) lijken geborgen, maar experts houden rekening met circa driehonderd doden. Alleen al in de vijfhonderdkoppige gemeente Marysville in de zwaar getroffen staat Victoria zou 20 procent van de inwoners zijn omgekomen.
Op plaatsen waar het vuur inmiddels is gedoofd, zijn speciale teams in afgebrande woningen op zoek naar slachtoffers. Forensisch experts zoeken tussen de overblijfselen ook naar aanwijzingen voor brandstichting.
quote:300 doden gevreesd in Australië
SYDNEY - In Australië zijn de bosbranden na bijna een week nog lang niet onder controle. Op zo'n dertig plekken vechten brandweerlieden nog tegen het vuur, meldden Australische media donderdag (lokale tijd).
Tot nu toe zijn 181 (verkoolde) lijken geborgen, maar experts houden rekening met circa driehonderd doden. Alleen al in de vijfhonderdkoppige gemeente Marysville in de zwaar getroffen staat Victoria zou 20 procent van de inwoners zijn omgekomen.
Op plaatsen waar het vuur inmiddels is gedoofd, zijn speciale teams in afgebrande woningen op zoek naar slachtoffers. Forensisch experts zoeken tussen de overblijfselen ook naar aanwijzingen voor brandstichting.
quote:Arsenists start new fires
KINGLAKE, Australia (CNN) -- New fires blamed on arsonists hit Australia Wednesday as the toll from deadly blazes was likely to rise on the macabre discovery that charred remains initially identified as single bodies were in fact couples fused together by the heat.
The latest fires broke out Tuesday night, even as emergency workers were struggling with the aftermath of bushfires that have so far killed 181 people and burned huge tracts of the countryside in southeastern Australia.
John Brumby, the premier of the hard-hit state of Victoria, said many of 20 fires burning Wednesday were suspected to have been started by arsonists -- an act described earlier by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as "mass murder."
"There seems little doubt these were deliberately lit -- a number of them last night," Brumby said on national television.
"I think words escape us all when it comes to describing deliberate arson."
Seven Network reporter Sarah Cumming said two major fires blazing west of Melbourne at Healesville and Bunyip State Park were in danger of joining up despite being 18 kilometers apart.
Several fires started by lightning between the two blaze fronts were exacerbating the situaion, she said.
The toll of the past week's fires stands at more than 500 people injured, nearly 1,000 homes destroyed, thousands left homeless and at least 365,000 hectares (901,935 acres) of the Australian countryside burned black, authorities said
Fires, thought to have been started by arsonists have devastated the towns of Marysville and Kinglake. As many as half the homes in Kinglake have burned to the ground, police say. iReport.com: 'Thank God we were spared'
The death toll is expected to rise. In Marysville, officials warned that as many as 100 people, or one-fifth of the town's population, might be dead, with many bodies believed to be still buried under debris.
The story
New fires blamed on arsonists hit Australia Wednesday as the toll from deadly blazes was likely to rise on the macabre discovery that charred remains initially identified as single bodies were in fact couples fused together by the heat.
The latest fires broke out Tuesday night, even as emergency workers were struggling with the aftermath of bushfires that have so far killed 181 people and burned huge tracts of the countryside in southeastern Australia.
John Brumby, the premier of the hard-hit state of Victoria, said many of 20 fires burning Wednesday were suspected to have been started by arsonists -- an act described earlier by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as "mass murder."
bronquote:Fined for illegal clearing, family now feel vindicated
They were labelled law breakers, fined $50,000 and left emotionally and financially drained.
But seven years after the Sheahans bulldozed trees to make a fire break — an act that got them dragged before a magistrate and penalised — they feel vindicated. Their house is one of the few in Reedy Creek, Victoria, still standing.
...
Mr Sheahan is still angry about his prosecution, which cost him $100,000 in fines and legal fees. The council's planning laws allow trees to be cleared only when they are within six metres of a house. Mr Sheahan cleared trees up to 100 metres away from his house.
"The council stood up in court and made us to look like the worst, wanton environmental vandals on the earth. We've got thousands of trees on our property. We cleared about 247," he said.
He said the royal commission on the fires must result in changes to planning laws to allow land owners to clear trees and vegetation that pose a fire risk.
"Both the major parties are pandering to the Greens for preferences and that is what is causing the problem. Common sense isn't that common these days," Mr Sheahan said.
Melbourne University bushfire expert Kevin Tolhurst gave evidence to help the Sheahan family in their legal battle with the council.
"Their fight went over nearly two years. The Sheahans were victimised. It wasn't morally right," he said yesterday.
Dr Tolhurst told the Seymour Magistrates court that Mr Sheahan's clearing of the trees had reduced the fire risk to his house from extreme to moderate.
"That their house is still standing is some natural justice for the Sheahans," he said.
He said council vegetation management rules required re-writing.
Waar moeten ze heen..? Je kunt geen half miljoen mensen evacueren.. De branden raasden met 60 kms per uur over de stadjes heen. Plus dat bijvoorbeeld Horsham aan alle kanten ingesloten is geweest, de enige uitweg was naar het Noorden en daar heb je niets.quote:Op dinsdag 10 februari 2009 20:16 schreef MaLo het volgende:
En het gaat maar door he.
Ik neem toch aan dat de meeste mensen nu wel op tijd vluchten, na de afgelopen dagen?
Alleen bij jou, ik heb er zelf geen last van.quote:Op donderdag 12 februari 2009 11:54 schreef Frutsel het volgende:
BTW: laad deze pagina bij iedereen enorm traag in of is dat alleen bij mij?
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25048866-421,00.htmlquote:A 39-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with lighting a fatal bushfire and possessing child pornography.
The Herald Sun reports the suspect, who cannot be named, was charged at Morewell Magistrates' Court with one count of arson causing death and one count of intentionally lighting a bushfire.
The arson charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years, with the bushfire charge carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years.
Both charges relate to incidents which occurred last Saturday, February 7.
He has also been charged with possessing images of child pornography.
The suspect was arrested in Churchill yesterday at 4pm as part of Operation Winston, the local arm of the police's Phoenix taskforce, set up to investigates Victoria's bushfires.
Det Sen-Sgt Adam Shoesmith of the Arson Squad said the suspect was arrested in a public place and "went without a fight".
quote:[..]This map of Australia shows how the land surface temperature from January 25 to February 1 compared to the average mid-summer temperatures the continent experienced between 2000-2008. Places where temperatures were warmer than average are red [..]
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25062513-421,00.htmlquote:THE official death toll from the Victoria fires has risen to 189.
Today's figure is the first update given by police since the toll reached 181 last Thursday.
It included 43 from Marysville, which is expected to have lost 100 of its 500 residents.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe announced the figure after victim identification experts had scoured the wreckage of properties in towns such as Marysville and Narbethong.
"Police have completed their search in open areas," said.
He said officers and forensic experts had now begun searching in more difficult areas and warned it would take some time for a final toll to be declared.
He also said some victims would not be identified at all.
Earlier, Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said recovering and identifying remains was complex and difficult.
quote:Dodental Australië naar 200
Het aantal doden door de bosbranden in Australië is opgelopen tot 200. Dat heeft de Australische politie dinsdag bekendgemaakt.
De autoriteiten vrezen dat het dodental verder zal oplopen tot driehonderd. Een gebied ter grootte van de provincie Friesland is in de as gelegd in de staten Victoria en New South Wales. Ongeveer 1800 huizen zijn verwoest en meer dan vijfduizend mensen zijn dakloos geraakt.
quote:Australia on alert
Officials warned Tuesday the wildfires that devastated southern Australia this month could flare anew when high winds and hot temperatures sweep the region later this week, and raised the death toll from the blazes to 210.
Firefighters are still battling seven blazes burning out of control across Victoria.
Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Kevin Monk said Friday’s predicted high temperature of 100 degrees, coupled with strong northerly winds, would prove a challenge for firefighters. A late southwesterly wind change is then forecast which could push flames towards towns.
“We are encouraging all of the people of Victoria to be on high alert this week, especially those in fire prone areas,” he said.
“It’s not too late to put together a fire plan and to do works around the house to set up for what could be a bad day on Friday.
“We saw yesterday how it took very little for a fire to start and have an impact.”
Thousands of firefighters are still battling to control blazes burning out of control in Upwey, Daylesford, Wilsons Promontory, Won Wron in Gippsland, Bunyip State Park, and both the north and south complexes of the Kilmore East Murrindindi fires.
Monk said fire crews working on the Upwey fire, which has burned about 150 acres of land in Melbourne’s outer east, were on alert for spot fires after the embers ignited two small fires north of Glenfern Rd outside the main fire area.
While properties are not under direct threat, communities in the area are on alert and have been told to expect smoke and embers in the air.
“We have the aircrane and numerous tankers out there working on that fire,” he said. “The Upwey fire is burning right into the back fences of some of these communities.”
Firefighters are also working to contain a blaze burning about 3 miles south of Daylesford which earlier threatened the town of Musk.
quote:Angst in Australië om nieuwe bosbranden
Bron: ANP Video
MELBOURNE – Met het toenemen van de wind neemt ook de angst voor nieuwe bosbranden toe. In de Australische staat Victoria woeden nog steeds kleine vuurhaarden, die zich door de wind kunnen uitbreiden. Zo’n 200 scholen hebben hun deuren vrijdag gesloten vanwege de toenemende temperaturen.
Niet in Melbourne zelf... wel in regio erom heenquote:Op woensdag 25 februari 2009 20:17 schreef pumpkinsoup het volgende:
Is dit ook in Melbourne? Mijn zus zit daar nu namelijk :/
quote:Bosbranden Australië voorbij
SYDNEY - De verwoestende bosbranden die Australië wekenlang teisterden zijn vrijwel allemaal gedoofd. Duizenden mensen die hun woongebieden waren ontvlucht, mogen weer terugkeren van de autoriteiten, meldden Australische media woensdag.
,,We zien een zeer helder licht aan het einde van de tunnel'', zei het hoofd van de rampendienst in de staat Victoria.
De ommekeer kwam nadat er eindelijk regen was gevallen in het kurkdroge zuiden van het land. De brandweer heeft zijn operaties drastisch teruggeschroefd en buitenlandse spuitgasten zijn naar huis gestuurd.
Door de bosbranden in de deelstaat Victoria vielen zeker 210 doden. Duizenden woningen gingen in vlammen op.
quote:Laatste bosbrand Australië onder controle
CANBERRA - De laatste van de verwoestende bosbranden die de Australische staat Victoria wekenlang teisterden, is zaterdag onder controle gebracht. Dat heeft de Australische zender ABC zaterdag gemeld op gezag van de brandweer.
Mede dankzij de lagere temperaturen en regen kon de brandweer het vuur in het nationale park Wilsons Promontory onder controle krijgen. Door de bosbranden in Victoria vielen zeker 210 doden. De autoriteiten verwachten dat dit aantal nog zal toenemen wanneer het forensisch onderzoek eenmaal is afgerond. Meer dan tweeduizend huizen gingen in vlammen op.
De bosbranden werden veroorzaakt doordat het de afgelopen dertien jaar nauwelijks heeft geregend in het zuidoosten van Australië. Gedurende de eerste twee maanden van dit jaar viel in de stad Melbourne minder dan 4 millimeter regen. In Nederland duurt het tijdens een normale regenbui ongeveer een half uur om die hoeveelheid te bereiken, aldus het KNMI.
quote:Kwart miljard ingezameld voor bosbranden Australië
CANBERRA - Australië heeft inmiddels bijna 250 miljoen Australische dollar (ongeveer 127 miljoen euro) ingezameld voor de slachtoffers van de bosbranden, die het zuidoosten van het land vorige maand troffen. Dat heeft een woordvoerder van het Australische Rode Kruis maandag gezegd
quote:De verwoestende bosbranden in de Australische deelstaat Victoria hebben in februari 173 leven geëist. De autoriteiten maakten dit vandaag bekend nadat onderzoek had uitgewezen dat minder doden vielen dan aanvankelijk gevreesd. Het officiële dodental stond op 210.
Het onderzoek naar het lot van vermisten was erg moeilijk. Er moesten zeer schaarse stoffelijke resten worden geïdentificeerd die op volledig uitgebrande plaatsen waren gevonden. In sommige gevallen bleken resten van één persoon terwijl ze eerder van verscheidene personen leken. Ook zijn stoffelijke resten van dieren tot mogelijke slachtoffers gerekend, aldus plaatsvervangend commissaris van politie Kieran Walshe.
quote:Tieners aangeklaagd
Bijna een jaar na de vernietigende bosbranden in Australië zijn twee tieners wegens brandstichting aangeklaagd. De beide jongens van 14 en 15 jaar oud zouden in de omgeving van Bendigo, zo'n 180 kilometer ten noordwesten van Melbourne, opzettelijk brand hebben gesticht. Een man kwam daarbij om het leven en 61 huizen werden in de as gelegd.
In de verzengende hitte van de Australische zomer verspreidden de vlammen zich razendsnel in de richting van de stad met 80.000 inwoners. Op de dag van de brandstichting begin februari waren de weersomstandigheden bijzonder gevaarlijk. In de regio steeg het kwik boven de 40 graden en stond er een krachtige wind. De brandweer kampte al wekenlang tegen verschillende brandhaarden. De jongens hadden de dag bewust gekozen om zoveel mogelijk schade aan te richten, luidt het in de aanklacht.
Die dag kwamen bij andere branden ten noorden van Melbourne 173 mensen om het leven, meer dan 2.000 woningen werden vernield en 430.000 hectare land brandde af. Het criminologie-instituut schat dat de helft van alle bosbranden door brandstichting werd veroorzaakt. De andere ontstonden door blikseminslagen, weggeworpen sigaretten of door vonken van landbouwmachines.
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