Spring Break
Australia wildfire death toll expected to pass 200
Associated Press
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: News
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Many people waited too long and perished as they tried to escape the weekend infernos.
"People need to understand that a late departure is the most deadly," fire chief Paul Rees said.
Recovery teams moving into burned out towns in Victoria state found charred bodies on roadsides and in wrecked cars - grim signs of futile attempts to flee the raging wildfires fed by 60 mph (100 kph) winds, record heat and drought. The number of deaths was expected to surpass 200, and a few fires were still burning.
"The clear evidence is that the most dangerous place to be is on the road," Rees, Victoria's country fire authority chief, told reporters Tuesday.
The scale of the disaster has shocked a nation that endures deadly firestorms every few years.
Authorities defended their preparations and actions during the fires that swept southeastern Australia on Saturday, saying the extreme weather conditions made catastrophe almost inevitable.
But they agreed that the "stay and defend" policy, under which homeowners remain to protect their properties from fire, needed to be reviewed.
"It is the application of that policy and a lack of an alternative that we need to work on," Rees said.
Evacuation is not mandatory in high-risk areas, and Australia's wildfire services largely comprise volunteers who lack the resources to protect every home.
In Victoria, there is no formal alert system to warn of approaching wildfires, though the Country Fire Authority distributes advice and updates on its Web site and through radio broadcasts.
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