Death toll in Victoria near 100 !!!!
Arsonists are relighting blazes already contained; victims describe towns being wiped out.
A $12 million Federal Government assistance package has been announced in Australia as Victoria experiences the country’s worst ever bush fires.
The death toll is closing in on 100 as 25 fires continue to burn across the state.
At least 25 people died in Kinglake, north of Melbourne. Many were trapped in their cars, unable to escape.
Residents of Marysville describe watching cars literally melting as their town was wiped from the map. One said she could not get out of the area so she stood on the outskirts and watched the town burn.
More than 300,000 hectares of land has burnt out and authorities say some of the blazes could take weeks to contain. There are fears that many more bodies will be discovered when the scorched remains of towns are sifted through.
Mr Ihaka says the blazes are so hot and so fast-moving that sometimes, firefighters can only stand back and watch them. He says when there is a bad year like this there is not much people can do.
At least half of the fires are thought to have been deliberately lit and in some cases arsonists restarted blazes that had been contained. Authorities say anyone found to have started a fire will face murder charges.
NewsTalkZB
