Victoria’s Seventh Day of Horror

Northern Advocate, 14 January 1939, Page 9

Victoria’s Seventh Day of Horror

Bush Fires Sweep Half The State In Greatest Disaster Ever

(Received 11.30 a.m.) ' v MELBOURNE, This Day. T ATEST REPORTS SHOW THAT AT LEAST SEVEN MORE PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE VICTORIAN BUSH FIRES YESTERDAY, WHILE MANY MORE ARE M ISSING. A CHANGE OF WIND LAST NIGHT BROUGHT TEMPORARY RELIEF, BUT ANOTHER NORTH WIND WAS FORECAST FOR TODAY, MAKING THE STATE’S SEVENTH SUCCESSIVE DAY OF TERROR SINCE THE FIRES BEGAN. The Melbourne correspondent of the “Daily. Telegraph” places the bush Are deaths at 31, 10 being burned to death yesterday, including five children. .. ' : f ■ Scores of others are missing, for whom a desperate search is being made. , The four children of Mr and M rs John Robinson, who live in the Colac district, were burned to death yesterday. Mr John Loosemore, aged 60, lost his life at Gippsland when the whole settlement.-of Hillend was swept away. Another* child, Edward McGinty, was killed near Casterton, The large township 6f Noojee, in the Gippsland' district, which was completely* wiped out ip the 1926 fir es, again suffered complete destruction after the pdpulation had been evacuated by goods trains. Warburton, Healesville and other hill resorts were saved after a desperate battle, a few houses being destroyed on the outskirts.

I* Lome narrowly escaped after the [ sre had burned to within a quarter of a mile of the fashionable hotels and guest houses. Hundreds of visitors took refuge on the beach. About 15 houses, including several large ones, were destroyed. Many small townships were entirely obliterated. Gale Fans Fires. So widespread are the fires that it is estimated about half the area of the State is affected. The fires reached almost the entire coast line on the whole eastern side of the State. There ,are many large outbreaks in the western and northern districts.

The ferocity of the fires yesterday was due to a 70 m.p.h. northerly gale, before which the fires •‘raced uncontrolled through hills < and valleys. The toll on property is incalculable at present.

' Hardly one tourist town escaped damage. Vast areas, which were formerly Victoria’s scenic pride are now blackened wastes. Beautiful fern gulleys and forest clad hillsides have been swept bare. Refuge In Water. Fanned by a fierce north • wind, which sprang up yesterday; the fires are now raging beyond control throughout the forest areas of Victoria. . ‘ An area 300 miles square is blazing and many large townships have been evacuated, hundreds of people taking refuge in rivers and creeks. In Melbourne today the temperature created an all-time record of 114 degrees, with up to 120 degrees in the country district. . ■ The fires are now within 15 miles of Melbourne, where the town of Warrandyte, comprising 150 buildings, was completely wiped out, the whole population sheltering' in the river Yarra. Many Towns Doomed. All the hill resorts—Warburton, Healesville, Femtree Gully, Sassafras, and Belgrave—are blazing, and may suffer the fate of Warrandyte. Lome, a favourite seaside resort eight miles east of Melbourne, is also in 'danger. Little news is available from the mill \ * towns in the centre of the burning area, but it is feared Noojee, Powelltown, Walhalla and Erica are doomed. When the wind rose early this morning it was realised nothing could be done to resist the advance of the flames and preparations were made to evacuate the threatened settlements. Car .and, truck loads of refugees were brought with all speed to safety points.

Entire Population Shifted. From Noojee, a goods train was requisitioned to remove the entire population. Two hundred and fifty families were removed from Warburton, one of Melbourne’s most popular hill resorts, 48 miles from the city. All the roads to the hills are now blocked by fires ,and communications are down. There is little knowledge of what has happened there, but owing to the early plans for evacuation, it is believed no lives are in danger. Only one man is known to be dead, although several parties are not accounted for. Shocking Devastation. Shocking devastation has been wrought over a vast area. Thousands of square miles of forest have been utterly destroyed. The damage to property cannot yet be estimated. The disaster is the greatest in Victoria’s long history of bush fire tragedies, but it is impossible yet to gain an idea of the full extent of the loss. Panic-stricken refugees are swarming into Melbourne where residents are accepting them in their homes. Money is still pouring into the relief fund, .and the “Argus” list now totals £IB,OOO.