NOW UNDER CONTROL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 16 January 1939, Page 5

NOW UNDER CONTROL

FULL HORROR OF TRAGEDY BEING REVEALED STRENUOUS BATTLE BY RESCUE PARTIES MELBOURNE, 15th January. After two days of cool change the bush fires are now more or less under control, but only now is the full horror of the tragedy being revealed. About 30 persons are known to have lost their lives when the fires were at their height on Friday night, making the total death-roll about 55. Dozens, however, are still missing and it is feared that many more yet will be added to the list of victims. News is still difficult to gather owing to the failure of communications. Sixteen deaths were reported yesterday at Matlock, eight at Tanjil, one at Aberfeldy, and one at Hall’s Gap, while an unconfirmed report says 36 persons are dead and 118 injured at Wood’s Point and the neighbouring district. Wood’s Point, a mining and milling

town in the heart of the forest 40 miles beyond Warburton. was completely wiped out. Of 150 houses there 143 were reduced to ashes. The fire leapt upon the town from three sides, reducing ; to ruins in half an hour. Owing to the remoteness of the town and the fact that the narrow mountain road was blocked for miles by fallen trees, rescue parties spent hours in a strenuous battle on foot through fallen and still-blazing forest to reach the scene and most of them were blinded with smoke when they arrived. A terrible scene of devastation awaited them. A frantic and homeless population, many suffering agonies from burns, was awaiting treatment by doctors in the rescue party. The reported deaths are believed to have occurred at the mills a few miles beyond Wood’s Point. NOOJEE WIPED OUT! At Noojee, which was also wiped out, lives were also lost. It was at first thought that the evacuation of the population by a goods train on P’riday afternoon had averted fatalities, but it is now learned that two married couples, four children and a young man are dead. At Brown’s Mill, seven miles from Noojee, grave fears are felt for five men, a woman and a child. Late on Friday night at Omeo, which

was earlier thought to be safe, a fire raced down the surrounding hillsides, destroying a hotel, the hospital, 20 houses and 10 shops. Beyond Omeo, which is on the highway to the Victorian Alps, St. Bernard’s hospice and Hotham Heights chatlet, two wellknown winter sports resorts at an altitude of 6000 feet, were completely destroyed. About 20 guests in each place raced for their lives to creeks where they sheltered till the fire had passed. In every town settlement in the eastern half of the State on Friday night and Saturday morning the residents spent hours of terror fleeing before the fury of the flames and sheltering in smoke-filled dug-outs and creeks till the heat drove them out to seek new refuges.