Updates?

Okie dokie.
In short, things got a bit thicker last night.
Things started to calm down around 6 last night, heard that the fire was calming down. Still on high Alert, still packed and ready.
Watching Top Gear of course.

At about eight o'clock mum came in the house, told us we're leaving, Police had been going through the streets on the mega phone telling people to evacuate and GTFO. Grabbed at hand stuff (The last of the bags, the dogs) popped in the car and drove around and under the fire, couldn't make it out on the main roads, so headed to emerald then to narre warren, endevourhills, clayton, then to Our nan's house in East Bentleigh. Toffee was going batshit insane in the car. Driving me and everyone else mad.

Spent a tense night there, called Angie, she was coming to pick us up in the morning, just incase we did need to be re-homed for a while. Slept pretty poorly (me anyway, Aaron was snoring his head off). Was up this morning at 6.22, breakfasted and waited for dad to call the CFA to find out what was happening.

The state things where in the night before was that a shed and a house(?) had been destroyed in Belgrave heights, the blaze was 70 (then to 150) hectares in size, and was a scrub and grass fire.
Things hadn't changed much by morning, except that the fire was now under containment, they where blacking out in the burnt area (putting out smouldering stumps and such) and residents where allowed to come back to their homes.

Called Angie at 7.15 to let her know that we where going home, and things where well.

I think we left a little after eight, headed home in peek-hour traffic, stopped into macca's for a drink unt breakfast for myself >.> Jaydee stole most of my strawberry thickshake, is cool, she needed it.

Got home after nine, everything was fine and well. Aaron got back on the computer and I collapsed asleep.

Found out this arvo after I woke up that the fire has breached containment lines in the north (fine for us, upwey and west tecoma, not so good.) Firies are battling that one back in at the moment, spot fire has broken out souh of the main fire in a reserve, northerly near of a 'transfer station' (Fancy talk for a tip) they're not too worried and they're taking control of the situation.
So last night around seven o'clock the fire was two kilometres south west of our location pushing at us. It was about three kilometres wide, two or so kilometres tall.
So we're okay at the moment. I know alot of other people aren't. Spent most of my time waiting at macca's digging out all the spare change I had and dropping it into a collection box for the Bushfire Appeal.

I will say now, I do encourage everyone to give what money they can. You can donate by going online to [link] and making a donation online, otherwise locals can drop into coles, safeways, many banks, macca's, shit, almost everywhere.
That same webpage also provides information for locals to donate as well.


I shouldn't need to say that there are much more concerning fires at hand, ones that have already claimed the lives of over 200 people. Seriously guys, do what you can.
I'll be going to extract money sometime soon to be able to donate more.

[link] <--- PDF map of the fire as of last night. You can see in the top left corner of the map the road that the fire was started on.
Yes I say started, we have ourselves a fire bug in the area. It's gonna be FUN when they name him.

_DEATH

Further Reading;

"Nixons Road fire - Upwey'

[link]

[link] <-- Direct link to the current Incident Updates and Advice Alert Message for Nixons Road Upwey Fire


[link] Anything near Upwey, Belgrave, Tecoma, Belgrave heights, Belgrave south. That area



I'll keep you guys posted as much as I can.
Sorry if I don't reply much