Death Toll in Australian Wildfires Above 150

Entire towns have been wiped out and authorities are calling all of the burned areas part of a massive crime scene. Victoria state has been absolutely devastated by the fires, with confirmed deaths of 166 so far. In addition to the typical problems involved with fighting such a massive wildfire, Australia has been hit with worst-case scenario weather conditions. Winds gusting above 60 mph and heat that is at times nearing 120 degrees has made containing the fire nearly impossible. The strategic burns that firefighters often make to try to help slow the spread of a wildfire have been ineffective.

There seems to be little word at this point on whether all of the fires were intentionally set or if evidence is limited to only a few of the massive blazes. Tales of survivors have been downright unbelievable, with reports of the fire traveling faster than the vehicles people were using to try to escape it.

The high death toll is being blamed on the extremely rapid movement of the fire, sometimes catching people who were actually trying to flea it before they could do so. Bodies have been recovered on roadsides and in vehicles where they were clearly trying to escape - but the fire was simply moving too quickly. Experts say that the worst thing to do is to try to escape a fire at the last moment. Either leave before the fire arrives, or try to wait it out. House fires and fires in structures tend to burn less intensely than wildfires, giving people a bit better chance of escape. But as always, the best approach is to not be in the area of a fire at all.