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Child victims of the Australian bush fires
Kiran Randhawa11 Feb 2009
This is the first picture of an entire family feared dead in the worst bush fires in Australia's history.
Paul and Karen Roland are believed to have been killed with their two daughters when the blaze ripped through their home in the small town of Kinglake, north of Melbourne.
The couple and their children Caitlin, 14, and Nicola, 12, are just four of the 230 victims feared dead when 400 fires raged through 20 towns in the state of Victoria, wiping out entire communities.
Eight-year-old Eric Brown and his siblings, Matthew, seven, and Brielle, three, were also killed in Kinglake, one of the worst affected towns.
Today many of its residents were able to see their properties for the first time. Many wandered around in shock as they surveyed the damage.
Several of the blazes, which started on Saturday night, are thought to have been started by arsonists. If caught, they will face the death penalty.
Police today sealed off the town of Marysville, close to Kinglake, saying the scenes would be too gruesome for residents to cope with. Forensic teams picked through the devastation, searching for clues to the fire's cause. The area, which is twice the size of London, has been declared a crime scene.
Looters have been spotted trying to retrieve anything of any value and angry residents swarmed to roadblocks demanding they be allowed to return to their homes to protect any remaining property.
Victoria state police have asked survivors to be patient. Assistant commissioner Stephen Fontana said it was vital the police carried out investigations and removed the dead before they entered. "The disaster victim identification team, operating primarily at Marysville and Kinglake, has a big job ahead of them," he said. "It's a very difficult process and will take a long time. In some areas there are bodies in the street as people tried to escape."
On one road alone, all 50 houses had burnt to the ground. Firemen John Munday, who was in Marysville 10 minutes before the flames swept through the town, described it as "Armageddon".
He added: "We had people banging on the sides of our tanker begging us to go back to houses where they knew there were people trapped, but we couldn't because if we had, we'd be dead too."
Firemen today continued to battle 23 remaining blazes. Last night arsonists were believed to have started at least two new fires.
State police commissioner Christine Nixon said officers were investigating the reports of fresh arson attacks. She said police were closing in on one arsonist blamed for lighting a fire in the Gippsland region, in the east. Victoria state premier John Brumby said there was "little doubt" that several fires had been deliberately lit overnight in the state where at least 230 people - and possibly more than 300 - died in blazes at the weekend.
"I think words escape us all when it comes to describing that deliberate arson," he said. Police have offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of arsonists.
Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd said: "The laws provide that they can be put away and put away for life. My own view is they should rot in jail. This is unspeakable murder on a mass scale."
A 100-strong investigation squad has been set up, named Task Force Phoenix, to sift through the ash and charred rubble for evidence.
The disaster is expected to deliver a £880million blow to the Australian economy with insurance losses alone predicted to hit £226million.
Disaster for wildlife as well as humans
Millions of animals perished in the inferno, wildlife officials said today, and shelters and clinics have been inundated with hundreds of burned and blistered creatures who escaped.
Neil Morgan, president of the Statewide Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service in Victoria, said: "It's just horrific. It's disaster all around for humans and animals as well."
Kangaroos have been rescued with burned feet - a result of their territorial behaviour. After escaping initially, many circled back to their homes, singeing their feet on the ground. There were reports of scorched birds plummeting from the sky.
Among survivors being treated at Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, 100 miles east of Melbourne, were possums, lizards and kangaroos. A koala, named Sam by rescuers, was found moving gingerly on scorched paws.
Shelter manager Coleen Wood said: "We had a turtle that was just about melted - still alive. The whole thing was just fused together. It shows how intense the fire was."
Wildlife Victoria president Jon Rowdon said: "We've got a wallaby joey at the moment that has crispy fried ears because he stuck his head out of his mum's pouch and lost all his whiskers."
Reader views (4)
"If caught, they will face the death penalty"
Australia abolished the death penalty decades ago_ the last man hanged was Ronald Ryan in 1967. The maximum penalty for arson in the state of Victoria is 15 years rising to 25 years if death is caused.
The people of the UK could have no idea what that day was like and I was more than 100km from the flames. The heat and wind were frightening 44 degress centigrade and up to 100kmh winds. We were all on alert waiting for fires to break out here _ we were lucky - that's all. Have a look at some of the news pics and footage and you will get an idea. It was hell on earth and it's not over yet. At this stage 181 people are confirmed dead but the final toll could be 300 or more.
- Craig, Ballarat Australia, 12/02/2009 10:44
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As far as I am aware it has been a long time since anyone was put to death down here! There are many people here who might like to see it reinstated for these horrible creatures but I can assure you it wont happen.
- Sam, Sydney, 12/02/2009 09:00
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Kathryn is right - no death penalty in Australia. Our politicians are just as arrogant (or even more arrogant) than yours. They'll give us a referendum on daylight saving, but on important issues like capital punishment and immigration policies we simply don't have a voice. They're all pathetic.
James
- James Wells, Perth, Australia, 12/02/2009 06:03
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"If caught, they will face the death penalty"
While I agree that the scumbags who did this deserve to be put to death, I'm sure Australia abolished the death penalty years ago...
- Kathryn, London, 11/02/2009 17:06
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