Out Of The Australian Fires, A Heartwarming Story
By now, most of you have heard about the horrific brush fires which are currently blazing through Australia. Over 180 people have died as a result, and so far two people have been arrested for suspicion of arson related to most of the fires. Entire towns have been burnt, and the death toll rises every day:
Firefighters were today tackling fresh fires ripping through the Australian bush as the crisis showed no sign of abating.The latest sites are near the historic town of Beechworth north-east of Melbourne.
Police said the fires - which include one huge blaze - had been deliberately started and warned residents to be prepared to flee.
Wind is so far keeping the flames away from houses.
'It's virtually impossible to believe that people are still lighting fires,' said Victoria's Premier John Brumby.
'There seems little doubt that these were deliberately lit. I think words escape us all
when it comes to describing that deliberate arson.'Police hunting for arsonists responsible for the deaths of 181 people in Victoria's bushfires said today they are close to making an arrest.
With 80 people still missing in the town of Marysville - described as a potential 'Ground Zero' - and more of the badly burned victims expected to die in hospital, the death toll is expected to rise to 300. [...]
The remains of most the missing are believed to be lying under the rubble of homes in the historic town of Marysville - described as a potential 'Ground Zero' - a few miles from another badly-hit community, Kinglake.
Firefighter John Munday believes that when searchers can start sifting through the remains of Marysville 'the toll is going to be massive.'
Prime minister Kevin Rudd has said the arsonists should 'rot in jail'.
If convicted, the firestarters should receive no mercy from justice, said Mr Rudd.
'The laws of the state provide that they can be put away and put away for life,' he said.
'My view is they should be allowed to rot in jail. This is unspeakable murder on a mass scale.'
You can read the rest of the story at the link above, it's too horrific for me to post here. The thought of all those poor people dying in a fire which could have been deliberately set is too depressing to think about. Men, women, children, the elderly, little babies, pets and animals, all gone. It would be bad enough if it were a natural disaster, but to think that this could a deliberate act is unconscionable. In some cases, they are ruling out arson, but the investigation has yet to be completed. Continued on the next page
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