.·:*¨¨*:·.·:*¨¨*:·. ♥ World War III 2007 --The Last 2000
Days .·:*¨¨*:·. ♥©®™ wrote:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/09/australia-fires.html

Gooday peoplez,

Bushfires or 'Brushfires' az U Americans call them are burning out of
control -- now more than
200,000 Hectares !!!

& IT'Z **HOT** here in Melbourne !!!

How hot iz it, peoplez ?!?!?

It'z **DAMN** hot !!!

37 Frickin' Degrees (Just over a century in your language !)

But we haven't even seen the worst or hottest of Summer yet !!!

HOOROO

UNCLE WALLY

----0----
Australian brush fires threaten towns, disrupt flights
Last Updated: Saturday, December 9, 2006 | 11:08 AM ET
CBC News
Firefighters in the southern Australian state of Victoria were working
Saturday to contain about 20 major fires that threatened to merge into
one massive blaze.

The fires have burned at least 180,000 hectares of drought-stricken
farmland and forest.

This photo released from NASA shows smoke from fires burning in
southeastern Australia on Friday.
(NASA Satellite/Associated Press) There are concerns they could soon
merge, sparking fears of a scenario similar to that in 1939, when the
Black Friday fires stretched from Alpine National Park to the coast,
killing 71 people in Victoria.

Heavy smoke across much of the eastern part of the state set off fire
alarms and disrupted flights at Melbourne's main airport on Saturday.

Qantas Airways said two of its flights to Melbourne had to be diverted
to other airports because of poor visibility.

People living in more than 20 nearby towns have been warned they may
have to leave their homes.

Temperatures reaching nearly 40 C and high winds are driving the fires,
which are expected to push toward the coast over the next few days.

Soldiers have been called up to bolster a mostly volunteer firefighting
force of almost 3,000, including a contingent from New Zealand.

Typically, Australia's most serious forest fires are reported in
December, January and February.

In 2003, brush fires destroyed about 500 homes, blackened three million
hectares and killed seven people.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6220154.stm


Smoke blankets Australian state
Large areas of south-eastern Australia are swathed in smoke as some of
the worst bush fires for nearly 70 years threaten mountain and country
towns.
The fires in the state of Victoria, mostly in eastern alpine areas,
have burned at least 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of drought-hit
land.

There are fears that the blazes could merge into one "super fire".

Bush fires are common in Australia's hot summer months, but this year's
are being described as exceptional.

People in Victoria are recalling the state's "Black Friday" in 1939,
when 71 people died in fires.


It's the worst drought on record for Victoria, which means all the
forest and grassland is extremely dry
Rachaele May
Victoria environment spokeswoman

No-one has been killed in the latest emergency, but firefighters say
expected rising winds and high summer temperatures mean extreme danger
through the weekend.

It is feared some of the fires, mostly sparked by lightning strikes,
could burn for months.

The Australian army has been mobilised to back up local firefighters,
who are also being helped by crews from beyond Victoria, as well as a
specialist team from New Zealand.

The state government's environment spokeswoman, Rachaele May, said it
was a "significant possibility" that all of the fires would eventually
merge into one larger fire.


"It's the worst drought on record for Victoria, which means all the
forest and grassland is extremely dry," she told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation.
Thick smoke has grounded aircraft used in operations to dump water on
the flames, while smoke drifting hundreds of kilometres has blanketed
the state capital, Melbourne, cutting visibility and disrupting
passenger flights.

Australia's largest airline, Qantas, reported flight delays of up to an
hour from Melbourne.

A flight from Los Angles was diverted to Sydney, while a domestic
flight from Sydney was diverted to the national capital, Canberra, to
refuel.

Nine people died in fires on South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula in
January 2005.

In 2003, more than 500 houses were destroyed and four people killed
when a huge fire tore through the capital, Canberra.



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