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Thanks to everyone who has mailed me to express their concern.
The fires are very bad indeed - a news report yesterday said they were the worst recorded anywhere in the world in the past 150 years.
The death toll is truly awful. Almost two hundred confirmed so far and the word is that there may be up to one hundred more once the crews can get into the burnt out areas.
More than 750 houses have been destroyed and more than 300 thousand hectares have been burned. No one has even tried to estimate the loss of crop, livestock etc.
We have not been affected here in Melbourne, although the nearest fires were only about 40 km (say 25 miles) away - we haven't even smelt the smoke - because the wind was blowing the flames and smoke away from the city. This was in a complete contrast to the 2007 fires which were 200 km away yet the smoke closed down the Melbourne airport because it wa so thick.
We have cooler weather now, thank goodness, and that has helped the weary firefighters to gain some control. there are still about 7 fires burning, but they are all said to be contained and under control at present. If the current cool spell continues, it is expected they will be dealt with by early next week.
Fire crews are flying in from New Zealand and the US.
