Posted on 02/08/2009 3:52:11 AM PST by naturalman1975
CHANNEL Nine veteran Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree have been confirmed dead in the fires at Kinglake West, Sky News reports. Channel Nine had earlier said the newsreading legend, who lives in fire-ravaged Kinglake West, could not be accounted for.
In a break in their normal programming, presenter Tony Jones reported that a body believed to be that of Moiree Naylor had been found close to the family's address.
Eighty-four people are dead and at least 750 homes have been destroyed and 3733 people have registered with the Red Cross after evacuating their properties.
The number left homeless is expected to be far higher, the Red Cross says.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon confirmed the death toll includes at least four children.
"The sad part for me is to say to the community that there will be more deaths, we believe," Ms Nixon said at a 6pm press conference at Moe Police Station.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
This will hit quite a lot of Australians very hard - Naylor's reputation as a news anchor in Australia... it's like the US losing Walter Cronkite. That well known. Somebody everybody saw on television all the time for years.
'Brian told me so' is an Aussie cliche.
I would have used Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck as an example - not Cronkite. LOL.
The death toll has nearly double since I went to bed last night here in The States.
“The death toll has nearly double since I went to bed last night here in The States”
Same here, and sounds like it’s going to get worse. God be with the victims and their families. I hope their Army troops that were being brought in can get it under control sooner rather than later.
It is very sad news - but thanks for the update. The people of Victoria are really suffering.
From what I know of Brian (live in SA here so not too much) he seemed to me to be an Old School reporter and anchorman - gave you the facts with little or no editorial speak. He seemed like a wonderful man. God bless him and his family!
Mel
I am listening to ABC Classic’s “For the God Who Sings” right now over the internet. Listening to the news reports about their current disasters makes me realize the difference between the US and all other countries in terms of news coverage. Australia is having the heat wave and fires in the south (late summer - very dry) and bad floods in the tropical north. Our cousins are really suffering but we hear little about it since all are covering Obama’s Stimulus. I am not saying that it is wrong but there is a difference!
Poor souls! I wonder why they were not able to evacuate in time.
I don’t know the answer to that but let me tell you a couple of things I have learned about forest fires.
Large enough forest fires create their own weather pattern and can burn fast enough no one can outrun it.
When someone puts a live branch on a campfire and the branch gives out a snapping noise, that’s the moisture in the wood turning into steam which expands the wood so quickly the wood breaks. The same thing can happen to live trees and they literally explode.
Hollywood will always show someone running through a forest fire to escape and most of the time, that’s ridiculous. Near a forest fire, the air can be heated to five hundred degrees. It’s impossible to be anywhere near a fire of that magnitude.
If you were to build a house is a forest, it would be smarter to build it from brick, stone and steel. That simply doesn’t happen because wood is cheaper and more attractive. It also doesn’t help that if someone did buy a fireproof house, most people will fill it with carpeting, wood furniture, canvas painting and other flammable items.
Thanks for your post. Yes, Shooter, I realize these things. I just meant, in California people are warned that fires are approaching and are evacuated—forcibly if necessary—when there is any sort of danger. Between weather radar, helicopters, ground firefighters, etc., the authorities are aware of where fires are and what direction they’re headed in.
The Aussies are no less well-equipped than we are, so circumstances must have been far different in the case of this particular brush fire so that the people in this housing development were not aware that a fire was approaching. (You’d think that at least they could smell and hear it: fires are very noisy.) So I was just wondering what the accompanying circumstances were. Were they suddenly surrounded? Could no one get a helicopter in to them? It’s horrible to contemplate their fear and agony.
The winds are just so fierce, by the time you realize the fires are coming, it’s too late. I can’t imagine anything more horrifying.
I suppose think of it in terms of firestorms, kind of like what devastated some cities in WWII. Whole towns gone in minutes. Imagine you are suddenly in a pocket with no way of escape. I am really getting a sinking feeling everytime I listen to or read the news - as others have observed, the death toll just keeps rising.
It does make someone wonder why anyone has to die in these circumstances. Celebrity arrogance might be a factor but it doesn’t explain the other deaths. A couple of forest fires were pointed out to me at one time and the feeling was, “It’s over there and we should be ok over here”. Sometimes, it not just one fire. It’s multiple fires burning at the same time and getting trapped in the middle. If you’re in front of a fire that’s five miles long, five hundred yards deep and thirty feet high, you’re in trouble.
There may be another factor. The authorities warn the people to get out and then their primary concern is stopping the fire and not stopping to save lives after that point. The firefighters are lucky to save themselves.
Because of the sheer area and size of the fires involved, firefighters cannot possibly hope to protect all homes and properties. In Australia, it is considered the primary responsibility of the property owner to defend their own property from fire. Firefighters will do what they can to assist people, but people have the right and duty to defend their own homes from fire.
People are basically told to decide whether they are going to stay or go early. To stay if they decide to defend and get ready. To go, if they can’t defend their property. We don’t force people to evacuate. It’s their choice.
Many of those killed chose to stay. But these bushfires were far, far worse than most. You can defend your home against many fires, but some of these were overwhelming.
Some people probably made bad choices. Some people made the best choices they could, but this time, there were no good choices for them.
Think “Crown fire”. Once the fire reaches the canopy, it moves at wind speed and if you’re in its path, you’re dead.
Alert Message for communities of Hazelwood South, Jeeralang, Jeeralang North, Jeeralang Junction, Balook, Le Roy, Jumbuck, Valley View Budgree East, Traralgon South, Callignee, Calignee North, Calignee South, South, Carrajung Lower, Won Wron, Woodside, Devon North, Yarram, Calrossie, Alberton, Tarraville, Port Albert, Langsborough, Manns Beach and Robertsons Beach still need to remain alert due to a high level of fire activity still in the surrounding area.
Incident Information
The communities of Hazelwood South, Jeeralang, Jeeralang North, Jeeralang Junction, Balook, Le Roy, Jumbuck, Valley View Budgree East, Traralgon South, Callignee, Calignee North, Calignee South, South, Carrajung Lower, Won Wron, Woodside, Devon North, Yarram, Calrossie, Alberton, Tarraville, Port Albert, Langsborough, Manns Beach and Robertsons Beach still need to remain alert due to a high level of fire activity still in the surrounding area.
Core Advice
People in the area need to remain alert as there may not be a warning should conditions change unexpectedly. Continue to listen to ABC or local radio for updates on this fire. Be prepared to activate your bushfire survival plan if necessary.
Decide now if you are going to stay or go. Remember that it is very dangerous to leave late with a fire in the area. Road use in the area will be extremely hazardous due to low visibility from smoke. Watch out for fallen trees, power lines, abandoned cars, wildlife and emergency services vehicles.
If you plan to stay, remember to seek shelter from radiant heat. Should the fire reach your property, close all doors and windows and stay inside the house while the fire passes. Remain alert, extinguish any small fires and if necessary, move outside to burnt ground once the fire has passed.
Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Additional Information
Community meetings are being held at:
Community meetings will be held on Monday 9th February at the Rosedale Town Hall, cnr Prince and Hood Sts, Rosedale commencing at 6pm and at the Longford Town Hall, Main St, Longford commencing at 7.30pm.
These meetings will be attended by CFA and DSE representatives who will provide information on the current status of the Churchill - Jeeralang Fire.
Residents and visitors to the region are asked to listen to their local ABC radio for updates on the status of these meetings.
For information on fires in Victoria and general fire safety advice, please contact the Victorian Bushfire Information Line (VBIL) on freecall 1800 240 667. Callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech / communication impairment may call textphone/ telewriter (TTY) on 1800 122 969. Information is also available at www.dse.vic.gov.au/fires
Dresden, Germany in WWII was firebombed. The city was filled
with three story wooden houses built cheek to jowl on narrow
streets. Once the separate fires coalesced into larger ones,
the wind generated by the up-draft exceeded 100 mph and people were flown into the fire. The found bloody fingerprints on the cobbles from people being sucked into the
inferno.
My cousin and her husband live in The Patch. From what I can see, that is about 100 miles from these fires, do you know if that is correct?
I have emailed my cousin but no answer, but that might just mean that she is busy with the farm. But, I am worried!
The Patch is in a fire prone area and there have been fires fairly near there (Healesville), but as far as I know The Patch has not been directly affected.
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