Australia on fire reporting

https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/february/1580475600/bronwyn-adcock/living-hell

Living Hell.

Clean-up continues: The recovery effort will be boosted by
the arrival of international experts today.
(AFP : Corporal Ricky Fuller)

International Help Arriving.

Meanwhile, a group of 60 United States fires recovery experts is arriving in Melbourne today to help with the aftermath of Victoria's bushfires.

Twenty-six specialists in assessing burnt areas and damage to water catchments are among the contingent.

Bodie Shaw, from the US embassy in Canberra, says the experts have been told they could be here for a month or longer, depending on the challenge of the task ahead.

He says almost half of the team's task will be assessing water catchments.

More here

"It rained (fire), it was like lava,"

HEALESVILLE, Australia (AFP) - Firefighters are battling to save Australian communities threatened by searing wildfires that have already claimed 181 lives, a toll that is expected to rise
here

A total of 450,000 hectares across the state have already been burnt out and 1,033 homes destroyed and authorities warn the threat is not over.

The 100,000 hectare Yea-Murrindindi blaze burns at the bottom edge of the deadly Kinglake Complex and if they were to merge with Bunyip, a 250,000 hectare mega-fire would be hovering close to Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs.

Firefighters were working furiously to build containment lines on Wednesday night.

"There certainly is the very real possibility that these fires may join," a Country Fire Authority spokesman (CFA) said.

He said hundreds of kilometres of control lines were being built to keep the fires apart.

More here

Australia's Bushfires
Today in each of the homes I visited, televisions were turned
to all the news channelsso even though I was working I was
able to keep up with what was happening.
Everyone is in shock, disbelief and sadness.

We are well prepared in Australia for Bushfires
but nothing could prepare the lost communities for this
horrific event.They say the firestorm at one stage covered
1.5km in 5 minutes. No-one could outrun it.
People who tried in their cars were blinded by smoke and
crashed into fallen trees.
Perished.

It is now 1.20am Tuesday morning and the last update was
135 dead and many injured.and on the other side of the
world people are trapped in their homes by snow.

Good Night.