Smoke in the mirrors

Verity and I sat at Melbourne airport last night feeling very distracted and helpless as we waited for our plane to Adelaide and chaos broke out around our friends and previous home in the Dandenongs. We had been stay with friends in Lysterfield and spent the last couple of days with friends in Upwey so the chaos breaking out was close to home.

For our last day in Melbourne Verity really wanted to visit one of her favorite places for lunch - Olinda. We knew it was a high fire danger day so we ensured we were tuned into ABC radio for updates. We could not believe that the places we saw covered in snow only 5 months ago were now crispy dry ferns and half dead trees amongst a dense forest of struggling life, scorched by the extreme heat Melbourne has endured this summer. I remember saying to Verity how nervous I was when we drove up through the unsealed roads of Upwey to visit friends on Sunday. We lamented with our friends that day how much of a fire trap this was and what their evacuation plan was should they ever need it. They told us stories of close encounters on the Black Saturday as spot fires broke out around Belgrave and people scrambled to extinguish them.

I expressed my nerves to Verity once again as we drove to the lookout at the arboretum in Olinda that looked out over the Yarra Valley. We didn't stay long as we could well and truly see the fires still burning out on the other side of the valley. At around 2:20 we made our way down the Mt Dandenong tourist road to the lights waiting to enter Burwood Hwy at the boarder of Upwey and Upper Ferntree Gully when we heard that noise that all hills and bush residents tread and fear - the CFA sirens were wailing loud and clear.

We drove past the Upper Gully CFA to see 3 trucks waiting for crews and as we drove further down the highway CFA trucks pulled out in front of us as they raced to the affected area. We got down to the Ferntree Gully/Stud Rd intersection as we headed towards the city and there in the mirrors i could see the smoke. It's terrifying to see how fast in billowed into the sky and how close we were to it. We were on our way to Chadstone shopping centre and continued in that direction as we listened intently to the ABC waiting for them to acknowledge the fire. At 3pm they confirmed that on the opposite side of Upwey to where we were, a grass and scrub fire burned out of control. We arrived at Chadstone just after 3pm and the plumes of smoke were large and very obvious. We contacted friends in Upwey and Lysterfield to let them know about the alert issued to residents. They weren't aware of what was going on but luckily were able to action their fire plans.

While Verity went for a wander around the shops, i couldn't disengage, I couldn't relax as i realized what we had just driven away from. I kept tuning into the ABC reports and heard that a house had been lost and 2 CFA trucks burnt injuring 3 firefighters and i began to acknowledge what many Victorians must have been feeling this past couples of weeks - the total and utter sense of helplessness.

Reports were coming through the radio of the chaos that surrounded the reaction to the fire as residents evacuated. Confused and disoriented people had car accidents and were running red lights just to get off the mountain. People raced down that stretch of Burwood Hwy Verity and I know well from Upwey to Upper Gully they called 'the mad mile'. Then we began to hear that the community we once called home was being turned into a refuge with relief centres set up in Ferntree Fully, Knox and Kilsyth.

We drove up towards the Eastern Freeway to escape the chaos of the traffic trying to get from the city to the SE suburbs as people raced towards homes surrounded by smoke. As we headed up around the north of the city of Melbourne, the wind changed direction and the smoke began to blow our way. It was a reminder of what and who we were leaving behind. We were flying back west as many of our friends were caught up in the chaos and we had no idea how bad it would get. One of the announcers on ABC radio summed up our feelings well when he reflected on his own. He acknowledged that here he was in a studio in the city, while once again on a high fire danger day in Melbourne's 3 weeks of fire tragedy, people scrambled to battle and escape new fire outbreaks. He described his state of being as helpless.

What heightened the anxiety was the fire outbreaks in Dalesford and Warbuton and we wondered if this tragedy that had impacted Australia so much would unfold again. Thankfully new learning's had been actioned, conditions were not as bad and firefighters were working diligently. Yet that still doesn't suppress the feeling of helplessness for most who watch on, wait, and wonder what the outcome will be.

we continue to think of those affected by the fires in Victoria. Verity and I think of our friends who came way too close this time. we think of the people who lost their home in that fire yesterday and the firefighters injured trying to save others. We also think of that one person who yesterday lost their life in hospital due to extensive injuries received in the Black Saturday fires. It may have just been a number that clocked over from 209 to 210 in many reports but it was a valued human life just like the others who were lost.

We continue to think of Victoria as many fires still burn out of control as they head towards another extreme fire danger day on Friday. We are also aware of a heightened awareness and anxiety here in the Adelaide hills as we brace for similar conditions. may we all be aware of one another as we see out this fire season. May we be aware of the heightened sense of helplessness, grief and anger. May we have patience with each other and be gracious towards one another. And may God's comfort and love embrace all who are affected in anyway.

Shalom
Mark