Trying to Escape the Strathuwen/King Lake Fires... Melbourne/Vic

The big ESCAPE. we only just got out of strathuwen which is what this video shows, we were then stuck in king lake as we had no where else to go surrounded by fire we took cover in a little cafe...

with about 15 - 20 of us we found it hard to breath, the hardware store accross the road was on fire and then the LPG gas bottles blew up... then the petrol station accross the road caught on fire... as we were all waiting for the windows in the cafe to shatter as the petrol station blew up, we all found it extremley hard to breath and tried to breath through wet towls that we were sharing...

we all huddled in a little corner of the cafe, histracle, crying... we all said our last goodbyes to everyone as the petrol station blew up we expected to die.

the petrol station blew up and the flames where higher than you would ever beleive it was extremley hot and even harder to breath, the windows stayed in tact but just at the moment we thought we were okay, the side of the cafe caught on fire and we all started crying again as everything was on fire that was surrounding us except for the building we were in... we again didn't think we were going to survive at all as we had no where to go if our building (cafe) went up in flames...

before the front came it was daylight and then it went pitch black and you could see your hand infront of your face.

eventually the black started to clear up and the wind change and the front left at the moment we saw daylight we jumped up and down and screamed... WE ALIVE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT!!

we were then still stuck in king lake for another 24hours. the ambulance and the CFA and the Police couldn't get into king lake to help us fight this fire and after the front left they didn't come for another 5 - 6 hours, with people serverly burnt, children scared and crying people terrified.

for the night we took refuge in the cafe although a few of us wouldn't sleep and couldn't and we stayed awake for 2 and half days almost three. about 3o'clock the next day we were able to have a convoy out of king lake... on the way out of king lake to whittlesea there were 7car pile ups with police tags were people had died there were no house just ash and tin were the house's were, the tree's were just black skelitons cars were unrecognisable, sighns were completley distroyed.. metal rivers of the metal off the cars were compltetley melted... horses, cows, lambs, goats were all black stiff lifeless animals laying on the road.

the genorosity of everyone that has donated or helped in anyway for the bushfire appeal is our angel and our hero, you have keeped our hopes up and have helped us begin our life over again without all of your help we wouldn't have gotton as far as we have and i would like to thank you for everything you have done.

there's no words for how we felt or how horrific this fire was.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• strathuwen/King
• Lake
• Bushfires
• 2009

[Bron85]

wow....thats amazing, I could see the smoke from my house 45 kms away, but I had no idea the flames were that big...terrifying, so glad you got our safe....

[PlushPrincess2]

it was the most horrific thing i have ever seen in my life... i have video's of the front of the fire which the flames were like double the size prob more when i was stuck in the cafe...

thanks though im glad to, although sad because im one of the very few that did... :(

[bootload]

"... it was the most horrific thing i have ever seen in my life ..."

Plush I'm glad you got out. I know the Strathewen area well and many friends have been effected by the fires there. Ive been hiking up the Bowden Spur Road that runs from Strathewen to Kinglake. This is a truly frightening scenario. The road is more of a track - a series of zig-zags up a dirt road, very steep and can be difficult to climb. Be proud of yourself & occupants to stop, pick up some walkers. Truly courageous stuff.

[PlushPrincess2]

Thank you very much, your comment is much apprciated and im very thankful

[croydonhills]

whoever lit that fire should be put down!! so many people died cause of stupid idiots out there. R.I.P.

[bluey733]

Thanks for sharing this, we lived in Strathewen up until a year before the fires, we only moved because of my car accident I had on Kinglake rd, I needed rehab for 2 years. I am very thankful knowing my friends made it out on time, although they lost everything they still have each other, and they have rebuilt, but will never be the same.. My step brother lost everything in Healsville, but managed to rescue his dog, he has bebuilt his house was finally completed in June 2011. R.I.P never forget.

[cjhrjone54]

I was there. Scary scary moment.

[PhotoGalleryZEROcom]

Thank you for sharing. we do not forget this.

[crisss994]

hard to beleive this was 2 years ago now it felt like only yesterday, R.I.P to all lost

[GSKGirlSkateKrew]

I live in kinglake and i am only thirteen years old i still remember this day like no other. My friends brother,sister and uncle died in these very fires and i believe my friend is the most strong willed person you will ever meet.

[PolakPotrafi10]

remember that day like it was yesterday..im from melbourne...although 80+ km from the fires...i remember that wind change that came and had some sort of feeling that something bad was going to happen

[voltscommissar]

@croydonhills The Royal Commission has heard compelling evidence of faulty decrepit power lines at Kilmore East. The power line owner was SP Ausnet, a corporation majority owned by the Singapore Government. The class-action lawyers will have a successful legal action, after the release of the Royal Commission final report 31st July 2010: we must all demand of Brumby that he release it ASAP before the election, so the Coroner can finish the inquests into 173 deaths. More soon...

[2GoRightGoHolden]

Luckily there was a windchange & blew the fire back the other way & we got out of there. Good to know you guys survived it too. Hope you guys were alrite.

[2GoRightGoHolden]

I was in drouin at the time of the fires with 10 of my mates, helping my grandparents clean up around their house. But the barstad fire still destroyed it. We had to run about 750m down the road to a dam on someone elses property, but almost didn't make it as the firefront got within around 300-400m.

[san2178]

Hope you guys are alright,,, and your family n' friends as well... it was horrible,,, i live in bundoora n' i could actually saw the massive smoke coming out of there...