Those firefighters who drove their truck into the river as a refuge for that woman and her kids while they stood outside to try and keep the flames off said truck so the children could live is incredible bravery.
Been fighting fire in California for 30 years. One of the toughest videos I've ever watched. My heart goes out to the people of Australia then and now. God Speed!
dude please pray that this summer isnt another hell.Lived thru 2 big ones (ash wed / black sat).. and mate, its fucking dry atm and theres a spooky vibe as its gonna be a HOT summer.
Thank god for you and people like you keith ❤ grew up in the Blue Mts west of sydney. Have family and friends that volunteer in the rural fire service. We lived thru a couple of fires, 1994 was a close call for many of us but these fires here on the east coast of NSW are like NOTHING i have ever seen. They have a new term for it "pyro cumulous" its a frightening thing to witness. Walls of flames moving at incredible pace. The air up to 1km away being sucked inwards to feed these flames taking the breathe out of you. I know of people traumatised by the sounds of animals screaming not far from them but cant see for the smoke. I am on the central coast of nsw and have family and friends up North still going thru the aftermath of these recent fires. We have ash washing up on beaches not far from here which is a good 5hrs drive away from the main fires that are out of control up north. Thank god for our firies ❤🙏
God ain't gonna do shit, its dedicated MFB and CFA personnel that are going to make a difference. Too bad the state government is more worried about worship in schools and other dumb shit than they are making sure the CFA is paid well and is well supplied.
I really appreciate the documentary makers for letting Mary talk a bit about her wedding with Peter. He deserves to have a little piece of his life remembered, along with all the other victims. It shows that the creators of this piece really do respect the events and the people that were involved.
God I feel bad for that lady. Why does God always snuff out the lives of loving people who were nothing but a credit to the world around them? She handles that with such dignity and grace. She's never met me, but I'll always credit her for my newfound love of port wine jelly. Thank you, Mary.
You're so right. All these years later I'm watching and I'm not watching about a horrendous fire, I'm seeing a documentary about the lives of real people who died, and the pain of those who didn't die, but live with the loss. That's what made this fire so devastating.
I want my Australian brothers and sisters to know that, here in the United States, the horrors of Black Saturday, and the horrors you Australian friends suffer every bushfire season, are not forgotten. Speaking for myself, as a man from North Carolina, USA: we wish you well, and we wish you health, safety, and happiness. And we love you dearly. You are our friends. You are our fellow humans. I wish the best for you, as I wish the best for my closest friends. Be well.
I mean speak for yourself, there's plenty of Americans who don't care for Australia. You're saying all this to make yourself feel better, but in reality what people who face bushfires or wildfires need is EMPATHY.
I can't help but feel immensely moved and alerted by this doco... Living in a rural area not far from where this happened, and after the last couple of years of decent rainfall and uninterrupted bush rejuvenation due to the pandemic lockdowns, this has all grown back denser and thicker than before. With the return of el-nino and not much backburning - I'm scared. It's almost a matter of time before another firestorm like this kicks off. I just hope the warning systems and people's bushfire plans are ready for it.
I live in rural Victoria too and I agree with every word you typed. My brother and family were living at kinglake East and they sold up due to PTSD and now live in suburban south-east Queensland
There’s a reason we have new systems like VIC emergency now, a must have if you live in rural Victoria, us cfa vollies are thought to prioritise asking for warnings to be issued if they need to be
I feel you there, I just wish the government would backburn national parks and roadsides like it’s terrible how neglected the country is all because of politics and government rules and legislation
I live in Victoria when those fires came I was there I lived through two bush fires I didn’t want a third. But they are saying we are in for it again this summer. I’m still in rural Victoria unfortunately we live with fires. If you are frightened leave your home early DON’T STAY ❤❤
Sure, I agree, unfortunately the majority of the 160 fires mostly burning out of control were not started by arson nor turned into raging infernos by the addition of a few more liters of petrol.
Roedy Green Mate I lost multiple family in the deliberate Churchill fire.. arson is domestic terrorism and needs the full force of the law and the same jail time as a “ conventional “ terror attack. The events of that day stick with me and these latest fires in east vic have me feeling very troubled even through I’m many hundred kilometres away.
@@Nine-Signs : But the problem was that those who deliberately started fires cut off an escape route people could have taken to survive. They should, if caught, be charged with murder and sentenced accordingly.
@@celticlofts I agree, they are some of the sickest individuals that should be dealt with accordingly. I just mean to point out the vast bulk of these fires are not arson is all. Bless all Australians and good luck.
Watched this last night. Horrible situations, made even worse by arsonists. But I also want to praise the filmmakers. The scene-setting views from satellites, the interviews, the use of burnt forests for pictures of the deceased, the photography by the local residents...I can only sit in awe and admiration for this production. Your treatment of those affected by the horrors was admirably respectful. I wish every newsperson, TV news department, and documentarian wannabe would watch this and take many notes. My respect goes to all of you and all of the survivors. Your work is greatly appreciated.
I keep watching this documentary over the years and this day will be forever etched in my heart. As an emergency nurse working a double shift on Triage at The Northern Hospital in Epping at the time, we had bus loads of people coming through for burns related injuries and smoke inhalation from the fire zone. Some also for post traumatic stress disorder post what they had experienced. Many firemen who had experienced loss themselves and seen horrors they would wish they could forget. The loss many had experienced extended far past loosing a house. Many had lost loved ones, memories, homes, neighbours, and friends. These were rural country towns where everyone knows and is friends with everyone. They came to the hospital an empty shell, flat and and in constant deep thought. The sorrow visible in both their eyes and voice. We had staff leave on the day finding out their homes were destroyed or loved ones were missing. The next day we found out one staff member had lost her son who was caught In one of the first towns to be hit. No warning at all. After my shift I went home and I did nothing as didn’t know what to do with myself. All you can do is reflect on the day and cry. This day will never leave me and I feel for those that experienced it first hand. My thoughts will always be with you.
Sadly a couple of the stories of people that died here that broke me most weren't even mentioned here if the ones that were weren't heartbreaking enough
People often believe they have time however, once you have witnessed a large bush fire & the speed they can travel across the ground you realise that time is the one thing you don't have.
ikabody There’s a video on TH-cam of a guy filming his neighbours burnt out cars with charred bodies inside. He knew the people, he was fleeing the fires the same time they were. The reason they died - the wife wouldn’t leave until she had her makeup on. So so stupid, in hindsight.
Black Saturday, I saw smoke far off, thought I was safe before I left my newly bought house, so took photos inside the house for insurance sake in case. Next thing I knew, I was running to the CFA shed for my life, the fire was that fast. I came to know that cars on the road could not outrun the onslaught of the fire and that's why people died in their vehicles. I see smoke plume this summer and I am out of Kinglake as fast as possible. I have my evacuation things at the front door so all I have to do is grab that, bugger the house, I'm not dying with it like my entire neighbour family next road up did.
Just for reference, a small fire started in a small trash can will go from that to flashover (where all the contents in the room ignite simultaneously; even a firefighter in full protective clothing only has a few seconds to get out once flashover occurs, anyone not in protective clothing cannot survive this) , in about 3-4 minutes. This is why you NEVER go back into a burning building. Remember to stay low, you can breathe close to the ground and it's not as hot. Find the nearest exit, THIS MEANS WINDOWS, DOORS, OR ANY OTHER MEANS OF EGRESS! People forget this and will try to leave the way they normally enter and exit the home. A house fire doubles in size every 30 seconds or so. It's easy to be complacent or misjudge how "small" a fire can be. These same rules can apply to brush fires. Don't underestimate it. Ever. You can rebuild a home or buy a new car. *YOU CANNOT REPLACE A HUMAN!*
Not only that here in UK young children have visits from fire brigade,like my kids had in their school here in Cheshire England fire people brought in fire tents kids got to witness how hard it is being in smoke,I know it not as bad as being in a fire but it sure made my kids realise how awful fire can be,thinking of all you Aussies here at my homeland UK,and wish you luck,we do care.x
The entire thing was hard to watch but the Marysville CFA captain was the one that got me most... And he continued to do that which I can't even imagine. That and the couple having the baby at the end then showing of the dads students as a teacher, that got me more than anything else. In saying that the Clark grandkids if I watched correctly fled from Whittlesea which was never impacted by the fire in the end. That is the hardest part
@@lukethiele3197the bucnanan children fled from there home in kinglake west on national park road, they went to there grand parents house which was the clarks because it was deemed a safe house and was further from the fire
I’m glad I’ve found this video. I was actually in the Black Saturday Fires. I was only about 3 or 4 at the time but there is this one image that is burned into my mind. I was playing with my dollhouse and I looked out of the window just diagonal to me because it suddenly got so dark, I was curious as to why it got so dark and then I could only see a wall of flames, a massive wall of flames. even though I was young I just knew that this wasn’t normal. There was a blue sky a few minutes ago, what happened to it? We were in the middle of the fires, our house only got a bit burnt and we were lucky to actually get out of those fires alive. My brother and I had to seek refuge at a cousins place for a few days while my parents and pop sorted out our home situation. My dog Bow sadly died in the fire from stress and a heart attack, he lived a long good life though. I also do remember my mum making a last phone call to my grandmother, we didn’t have a good communication source and we thought the fire was not as close as it was. That’s why my mum made that phone call, it was literally heart wrenching hearing my mum say “I don’t think we are going to make it, I love you.” But everything is good now, my mum goes to my school and educates the younger levels on the fires and shares her experience to raise awareness.
@Bill DeSmet Some of my cousins were first responders to Kinglake and Marysville after the fires, mate the stories they told me will send shivers down your spine, some streets were bumper to bumper of burnt out cars full of corpses of people trying to drive away at the last second.
This is the most remarkable TH-cam I've ever seen. I cried watching this 10 years on and my heart goes out to you. Absolutely harrowing to hear your stories but you make all of us in Victoria so profoundly proud of you. Such stoicism in the face of basically the apocalypse. You will forever inspire us with your courage. Heroes to the max, all of you.
This was intensely hard to watch. My family lives in the hills of Perth W.A. and it's also where I grew up. We've seen fires come and go and lost property and memories along the way. But this was to another level altogether. And I pray Australia NEVER sees a day like this again. Ever.
I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges. Of drought and flooding rains, I love her far horizon, I love her jewel sea, Her beauty and her terror.... The wide brown land for me Dorothea Mackellar 1908 One of the most heart breaking things I have watched in so long. I will admit I cried through most of it. We Aussies really are tough when we need to be...
I'm a grown man and could not watch this through without crying... Peter Avola and 97 year old Charlie at the end made me weep but as a young parent the Buchanan kids, the teacher's student mentioned at the end and a few really young kids among the photos of the 15 that died on one street in Kinglake really did it for me.... 😢😢
I can honestly say. I was a volunteer who went to help with them fires. I was in a local brigade Benloch about 30 minutes from Kilmore. It was the worse day in my history of CFA. My parents did Ash Wednesday in the 80’s. They knew what this was like and they told me to brace for the worst.
Wow, that was powerful. I was at the pool with my kids at Yarra junction that day. I remember looking at the massive smoke plume rising. Said to the kids, we’re leaving, that is serious...I didn’t realise my sister was in mortal peril in Kinglake. She made it through due to her awesome husband. Gary Gunn. On ya Gazza, your a champ.
I’m a wildfire survivor from British Columbia, Canada, from a similar time frame! If you haven’t been in the dragons belly, you just can not understand the heat, the chaos, the panic, the fear, the “welders torch” blast of wind and heat!! I LOVE my “down under” friends from Oz! My band mate and lead guitarist is from Melbourne - moved to Canada at 20. This is a great doc! Peace
Hell on earth, every summer we prepare for another day like this. 27 children were among the victims on this day as a child then and a parent now it's hard to grasp.
I have never had a documentary have such an emotional impact on me! This should be a teaching tool in all educational systems in our country and internationally. Everyone should share with their friends and loved ones to educate on the self generating powers of fires. RIP to the souls that suffered this terrible event.
@@2partiesnotpreferred226 Ought to hang the people who started these fires. They knew it was perfect conditions to start with a cigarette or something similar. It happens here in North America, also. Rotten people.
This happened my first day visiting Australia. I was staying with family friends in Hurstbridge where some of the family left to stay further away in Melbourne and I can remember like it was yesterday the orange glow across the horizon. The “Camp fire” in California last year is scarily similar to the events from that day. So tragic.
Sitting here watching this in California waiting for what will probably be, once again, an unprecedented fire season. I don't have the words to honor the courage and pain of Australians going through all this. Just sending y'all and your firefighters kind thoughts, hoping that you and they, and we and ours, make it through 2021 with a minimum of suffering and loss... we would love them to be bored!
A very moving account of the lives of some of those who were lost and those who survived. May the 173 people who perished rest peacefully, along with the stoic 97 year old Charlie Richardson.
i lost my dad in black saturday we lived in strathewen he went back to worn his mum and dad but my pa was warning the neighbours my pa got out same as my mum but my nan and dad were stuck feel so bad that on my mums birthday she lost her husband now every birthday is an reminder rip love u dad
Oh that’s so devastating for you and your mama!! Prayers and hugs.. may the Lord give you hope and comfort that you’ll be reunited one day in his Kingdom. 😢
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Omg those poor grand parents that story broke my heart, I cried. Bless hope those sisters and brothers and young girl got a express ticket to heaven for protecting each other. And the grand parents please be strong forgive yourself. And the mother may your wounds heal xxx
i had the privelige of plastering their new house aswell as other Kinglake homes.... i never saw war or battlefields, but it was totally wiped out.like a Hbomb....toughest people on earth..... fucking dry atm her, got a bad vibe about this summer..........
@@smalltowninnewmexico Your bad vibe was justified. Can remember wondering if we'd learnt nothing from this, seeing Mallacoota and the like. We know the undergrowth and fuel loads need to be maintained. Too many decisions and policies being made about this back in Melbourne where it matters least. To lose a home is one thing, but those you love. There's no words to put it in.
This makes the Waldo Canyon Fire here in Colorado look like a tiny spark; and believe me, Waldo Canyon was nothing to sneeze at. This is so terrifying. My heart goes out to all survivors of this horrific day.
This is the first time I’ve seen or watched from beginning to end some of the stories...I’m heartbroken over this for our Australian friends...my condolences to all families who lost loved one’s...I am truly sorry...and bless all those courageous people who fought for their lives...thank you for this post...much love from Arizona ♥️
Was living in the Dandenong ranges at the time . Was a terrible stressful day . Me and my Family were very lucky . To those that lost everything my deepest sympathies. I still remember the aftermath. So sad even 10 years on it brings me to tears .
Poignant and deeply personal. Thank you for making this available and remastering it. I will never forget this, even having outrun several fires in California in 2017. The filmakers did a fantastic job telling the story in a respectful way. Thank you.
The fires on the Sunshine Coast recently were also lit on purpose. I don't care if they are kids, they should be given an appropriate sentence for for destroying multiple homes and bush land. 25 years? Maybe more, if you're old enough to light a fire, you're old enough to know how dangerous it is, especially on a hot day.
There is always going to be kids or a nut willing to light a fire but the conditions are the issue, it's dry, the air is dry, the humidity is low to make it dangerous. Without that it's a couple of kids, bored, having a smoke.
@@blugaledoh2669 Specially trained people burn down sections of forest intentionally so that when the faster spreading forest fire reaches that area there is no flammable materials to spread. Smaller fires can be controlled because they dont reach the high temperatures that make it unstoppable.
More mindless much mob. For people like you or is always someone else's fault, responsibility,job. Fires are part of the landscape and are necessary for the bush to regenerate. Be prepared.
As I have written before, there is always going to be kids or a nut willing to light a fire but the conditions lately in Australia (NSW, Queensland) are the issue. Way way north it's dry, the air is dry, the humidity is low to make it dangerous. Without that it's a couple of kids, bored, having a smoke.
I had this in my recommendations a few weeks ago; I watched it and was blown away completely. I thought about this documentary for days. The speed and intensity of this fire was absolutely insane. The descriptions of living through this were horrifying and heart wrenching.
The footage is terrifying. My heart breaks for those grandparents. For everyone who lost thier lives and those who survived only to lose everything and everyone around them. My heart goes out to those experiencing the fires now in 2020.
For those interested, ‘Kinglake-350’ is a great read, that explains what happened and how, as well as showing multiple different perspectives from survivors. Would thoroughly recommend
My closest friends lived at Strathewen, the last house at the bottom of the hill to Kinglake. It took days to find them because no one even realised there was a house there once. Shattering event. 😪
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) the song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Sitting here in Bendigo watching this doco, we were barely licked compared to places like Kinglake and Marysville, I drove through Marysville earlier this year and the dead black stumps littering the forest are a testimony to the ferocity of the fires.. The bravery of the locals and the CFA make me proud to be an Australian.
I was married in that beautiful church in Marysville & when we awoke the next morning my husband & I said to each other ‘we did it, we got thru the day’....then we turned on the tv & what we were confronted with was something so unimaginable & so unbelievable that we still grieve the loss of all those lost over 11 years ago😢😢😢
Having lived in Kinglake West, and fought the fires first hand. It's hard to watch. However, given the fires this week the improvement has been unbelievable. Please don't take the threat of fire lightly and don't think it won't happen to you. Just leave
I was at a party north of the city in Melbourne watching what I first thought was a thunderstorm for one second and then I realised what it really was. Instantly the party was cancelled and we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to ABC radio and feeling sick. RIP to all those lost, this is documentary is a great tribute to those who fought and lost. I lived down on the Surf Coast at the time and a month or two after the fires we hosted people from the area, I took a heap fishing, you could tell they were severely traumatised. The whole thing makes you feel proud for being Australian as people here genuinely care for each other, especially in the country and that is incredibly rare in the world these days.
Our son works in film animation in Vancouver British Columbia. He worked on the movie”Only the Brave” and did much of the animated scenes. The film was a tribute to the fire squad that perished in the California fire.
That movie was a good insight into the jobs that the firies have to deal with when fighting this sort of fire, loved the film and have so much respect for firefighters
Thank You for sharing this & doing such a fine job remastering it! I am so truly sorry to all then families that lost a love one to this truly sad & really unbelievable firestorm on what is now called "Black Saturday"! This documentary is truly amazing, but I can't even fathom what the survivors actually went through, or what the ones who didn't make it what they went through trying to escape! I can't imagine going through anything even a tiny little bit like this! My family & I live in Ohio, US. My husband & I have 2 daughters 20yrs & 16yrs. My 16yrs daughter & myself absolutly truly love Australia! We would love one day to get to vistit your beautiful country! You all will be in my prays!
I have read the stories of nearly all the victims and many survivors... most are too sad to share especially some of the 27 children who didn't make it along with most of their parents.
What a truly brilliant documentary. It perfectly, and sensitively captures so many of the individual stories of those affected by the fire and at the same time, takes us on the fires' journey from start to finish - all done with a level of empathy that makes you feel like the narrator is holding your hand throughout. I cried from start to finish and I marveled at the overwhelming power of Mother Nature. She is cruel; unforgiving. She is breathtaking and inspiring. All at the same time. And mankind will always be at her mercy.
To all that may not have known this, the fires actually created its own weather system and there was no telling of what way the wind was blowing, because it was blowing ALL directions
Sadly, the conditions on that day were perfect for such a fire to create its own weather system as a storm spotter and amateur weather forecaster here In the Mallee we were in the middle of a 2-week heatwave before Black Saturday, The night before it happened I knew straight away from the forecast it was going to be a bad day the warm nights had been keeping me up so on the Saturday morning I turned on ABC Radio at about 7AM. By 9AM every weather station In Victoria has reached 40 degrees, something I haven't heard of happening ever since I had an interest In weather, which has been most of my life. I was In front of the PC all day observing the weather conditions & fire situation with ABC Radio on In the background I could not believe what I was hearing I used to travel to North East Victoria quite often when I was a child, The Mallacoota fire a couple of years ago created its own thunderstorm which makes such a fire even more dangerous people had to evacuate onto the beach. In 2014 I had to evacuate my home because there were bushfires 12kms south of Ouyen (100kms south of Mildura) got the call at 11:30PM on a Friday night & it's something that always stays with you, thankfully our town was saved by the many fire crews that came down to help our local bridge fight the fires. This was a very moving documentary, but we must remember that these are only a handful of stories from that terrible day, with so many other heartbreaking stories not told, May all those lost on that terrible day rest in peace & sending love to their family & friends & we must not forget the bravery of our first responders who battled these fires showed on that day.
@@wcstevens7 Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) the song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
I can’t express how I feel , what can anyone say. It’s just too much. Australia is part of us Brits always will be. I am crying for you, just unbelievable and real . My sympathy🇬🇧
It's weird reading this comment and realizing that now Australians have given up and let the government shepherd fellow Aussies into camps... It was explaining to me that perhaps Aussies trust the government too much but surely they must lead that not lead them astray or fail them so they do what they say or absent of being told what to do they do nothing.
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) the song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing this. I remember watching the news that day in Gosford, NSW, but I didn't really understand the intensity or magnitude of the fire at that time. But this really shows just how horrific it really was. My heart goes out to everyone who was involved. I hope Australia never experiences another day like this.
@@jusomebody3069 bad bushfires caused by poor land management. These fires were 200 odd years in the making. Before 1788 these kinds of fires didn't happen.
@@2partiesnotpreferred226I'm Joy you must have exhaustedly check the fossil record, interviewed many of the elders and traditional owners of the land the other evidence from the first Australian verbal records and painstakingly pieced together a rigorous proof grounded in science an empirical evidence and published in the preeminent scientific and not only the test of review by peers preeminent but indeed shifted the general consensus of scientific towards your conclusions which you have so diligently applied the most rigorous scrutiny that the scientific allows demands and requires and have been assured by so many extremely well respected credential demonstrably proven beyond a reasonable or otherwise that have you been a PhD candidate will be calling you Dr buy now and no doubt received more unsolicited office of research ranting fellowships then I get spammed by Clive f****** Palmer political advertising in blown the complete socks off all these an address apologists by demonstrating thousand losses from the United kingdom destroyed almost instantly as soon as they arrived the systematic widespread coordinated and effective method of management that the first Australians had instituted without any form of written communication and replaced it with a coordinated and sophisticated replacement strategy of instituting a 200 year policy for systemic widespread coordinated mismanagement of the bush do maximize the disastrous consequences of highly stochastic events like lightning strikes and fuckwhit arsonists. Brothers have one question, is everything I have just dribble out of my mouth imperfect cemetery to what bad seafood dribbles out the other end true or is it as equally as full of shit as all the dribble I just spewed out and use voice recognition foist the ad talking she has one thing actually moving my fingers to type it in the bastion of educated logical analysis that is the comments section of TH-cam OR ineffectual dribbling of shit to an audience that no one in power gives a fuk about except apparently equally ineffectual dribbling of shit that is the propaganda arm of the Chinese communist party and the propaganda arms of deeply unpopular an evil rulers who are despise by the youth of their own country in Iran and the bunch of kleptomaniac crooks and gangsters (if you can call a nation that has 146 million people and a GDP only slightly larger than Australia with it's 26 million actually being 'control' buy any sensible definition of the word the gas station that used to be known as Russia).
this is my aunts story, so she was chilling at home with the AC on with my dad and my aunt was staying in Bali so she kept her farm with her friends. unfortunately the farm is where a fire was headed at the farm so they let the animals go and ran out of there, a couple days later when the weekend passed they found the animals all together at the lake!
I was 11 at the time, I still remember this like it was yesterday, we felt pretty safe until the Kilmore fire changed direction and the Bendigo fire was set then we were essentially at risk of being trapped, my mum forced me to watch every news report on fire safety, she made me memorise our fire plan everyday and have everything I needed packed and ready in a single bag ready to go, our house was saved thanks to our amazing SES and CFA who kept the fire 20-30 mins away from my house. I’ll never forget the sight of the red and black skies.
2023 March I watched this video. I liked the way the narrator took me on a journey through this experience. I know more than most about wildfires living in Northern California and Nevada in my life. Presently near the Oregon border. The first fire season in our new home in 2020 we were on our deck watching a fire raging across the road coming up from the small valley below. The winds and fire fighters took it back down the already burned hill! The fire in the video reminded me of some of the California fires over the years. The best part of this documentary near the end was 97 year old Charlie (who lost a lifetime of property) reminding me the fire went beyond arson. It was mother nature who raged on indiscriminately.
For anyone wondering in between Kinglake and kinglake West there is a power Grid so both of their power goes out at the same time including Pheasant Creek in the middle
1:12:50 I was in Strathewen that day. With my mum, dad and 7yo sister. At my pregnant aunties house. We were one of the very few places that didn't burn. The fire got to within 50m before the wind changed and saved us.
At about 3pm today: I'm working from home looking out the window is I see a pair of Mud-larks turn up, something different and never seen them before. They look a bit nervous and fly away, crows call and fly away, I go outside and can smell a fire...a fresh fire. I can see a bit of smoke haze coming from the east erly wind and notice some kangaroos racing off through the bush. I check the Fire Emergency website, see an alert for upwind of me. I ring them on the non-emergency line and get put on hold. Bugger this!, I'm calling 000 (919 emergency) and find out there is a fire burning. Great! On a bush edge block, been weirdly dry for months making it ready to burn and a fire has started on the about 5 kilometres away. I've done it before so I put on some heavy cotton clothes, boots, hat and trash boxes to get my special things ready in case I need to take off in a hurry as this place is not defend-able. Luckily the temperature has dropped to just below 30C (90F) but the wind is blowing. I put some water hoses on the lawn, get on the roof to block all the drain holes and put water in the roof drains. (Fire gets under the eaves easily with wind.) I ring neighbours and housemate letting them know to grab the pets if needs be. As it turned out the fire eased off, wind dropped and temperature so I just chatted with the neighbours dressed in khaki overalls. 🙄 Living in Brisbane I never thought I would be worried about fire with the rainfall and humidity it gets, but it hasn't and all the locals I speak with are concerned about it. Better than Black Saturday in Victoria less than 10 years ago....but now the fires are starting to happen here, 1600kms north of Kilmore...WTF
Just now seeing this, and as I watched it, I couldn't help, but think about the fires that have ravaged California, and the people who have lost their houses, And for some their lives, and/or loved ones! But to see the deviations there in Australia, and here in California is simply incomprehensible! I'm from Ft. Worth, Texas, and while I've been through tornadoes, and hurricanes, none will ever I don't think match the total devastation of a wildfire! My prayers are with the survivors of Australia, and California!...
I’m in Peregian. They caught 2 teens who lit a massive fire here and the community has told their families they aren’t welcome here and they must leave. The courts won’t even tell the public what’s going to happen to them as protecting their rights seems to be above ours. It’s time these arsonists are charged with terrorism and given mandatory jail sentences. Only then is this going to stop.
@@herpderp7264 thank you for this information. As harsh as it seems, I agree with you. Its the only deterrent. The one thing missing in this documentary and in much of the coverage is the sheer amt of devastation to the wildlife which is what has me in tears this past week. I saw your comment as I logged into YT to check Megabattie's channel for info on rescue efforts to try to contribute. I hope you and yours escaped and send warm wishes for a safe future. (P.S. are you a snake afficianado?)
As a Victorian, I was 5 when this happened. I remember little. This documentary however is such a touching, and heartfelt way to express the horror experienced on that day in 2009. It is simply unfathomable how extraordinary the fires were, and to think it is just kilometres from where I live in Melbourne. I truly recommend this documentary to anyone.
yes, i was 5 too :')) i remember starting prep just after the fires and what i do remember was that the air smelled like smoke for days and we even put wet towels on the ground to dampen the room
The thing I remember most clearly about Black Saturday was initially joking with my wife about how the weather people had got the forecast wrong. We'd been told to expect 44 (from memory) in Melbourne and I'd got up early and watered all our gardens. Mid morning I went out to do some work in my shed and it was still quite cool and on the way out I made some joke about how I could have slept in and left the watering until later in the day. I'd been in the shed about half an hour before the wind arrived and when it did, it was like something huge had slammed against my shed wall. I wouldn't be surprised if the temperature jumped about 15 degrees in as many minutes and I retreated back into the house for air-conditioning fairly quickly. Around mid afternoon we started watching the news and even though I'd grown up in the bush and had one of the Ash Wednesday fires close to us, the sheer scale of what happened across Victoria that day was hard to wrap your head around. I'd love to say I hope we never see anything like it again, but sadly I'm sure we will.
We lived in Humbug Scrub, north-west of Adelaide, at the time of these horrible events & followed them on the news. One year later we moved to Panton Hill, north of Melbourne and close to Kinglake, and on a Sunday thought "let's go for a drive", but nothing had prepared us for the still visible devastation the closer we got to Kinglake. Entire stretches of forest burned down to stumps, black stems and charcoal everywhere, no animals, no green, and an eerie silence. When we drove through Kinglake towards the pub we passed by many "vacant", charred blocks with fireplaces & chimneys still standing (that's where previously houses had been), and in the pub the remaining locals had prepared a memorial area for their lost neighbors & friends, which we viewed in horror and awe, as the full reality of the catastrophe hit us. Many residents had left Kinglake already, as they had lost everything and could not cope with their grief; those who stayed were battle-hardened by their fight against the fires and the love for their village - but the scars ran deep, and tears flowed when people shared their stories with us. When we drove home in the evening no-one in the car said a word until we arrived. Since then we take bushfires extremely serious and always have a plan ('which basically is: be prepared, have bags packed, and leave as early as possible with the entire family, pets etc. - no-one is to stay behind). Years later Humbug Scrub exploded in a bushfire; very close friends of ours lived pretty much in the middle of it, managed to defend their home, and survived - they were lucky, super-prepared, had 20 metre fire breaks around the house, a bore, a dam, fire pumps running on fuel, several generators, etc. etc. They battled for 2 days and nights without sleep, and then it was over and the home saved. The images they sent us afterwards made our skin crawl; had we still lived there we most likely would not have survived, as our home was at the end of a kilometer-long no through-road. To this day we all are very grateful that we have been spared, but also remember all those who weren't as fortunate as we were. What we never understood was (a) how in such a catastrophic situation people INTENTIONALLY lit additional fires, (b) why the existing policy of "stay and defend" wasn't instantly abolished and people on the news, the radio, the internet told to leave asap, and (c) how on earth the extremely important fire-warning for Kinglake, Panton Hill etc. got lost and was never broadcasted. THIS probably costed dozens of lives. It was changed to "leave early" in the aftermath of the desaster, but not during the events. Heads rolled afterwards, but again this doesn't bring people back. Hopefully such a fire never happens again.
Easily one of the best-put-together documentaries I've ever seen. The graphics, the presenting, the camera work, the scripting, all of it top-notch. It's rare to see something that does a good job with a factual presentation that can still rip your heart out like this one does. Brilliant and very sad.
Couldn't have said that any better, this was so hard to watch but so well put together and presented that it had me glued to it and watching several times.
I've seen some fires but that 45:07 is a vision from hell. Can't even imagine what it must have been like to see that right before your eyes... Thinking of you guys Down Under, having just read the news that NSW is currently burning with 'unprecedented fires' again... Love from Portugal
tomalapevides yeah man, I lived in Beechworth, it was my sisters birthday party and we had to evacuate. My region has catastrophic fire danger tomorrow which is the highest.
This is a documentary everyone should watch once in their life. I live in Melbourne's North and remember Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday all too well, would have driven through those areas countless times before and since. One thing about the Australian spirit is you can knock it down but it will bounce back up. So many heroes and so much tragedy involved here. If there is a God, I dont know for sure but if he exists may he bless the families living in and around the bushfires raging through Australia as I type this on the 3rd January 2020.
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) the song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
I don't know either, but my heart asks the same. I just know I would never recover after telling my child that her children have died in my home, that I'm okay, but that we couldn't get to the kids. I would feel heavy as if I put a gun to their heads and took their lives. I know I cannot run through fire, but I would feel awful anyway.
This was really well done and incredibly moving / heartbreaking. Especially knowing these events keep repeating. I hope everyone who lost someone here finds closure and some sense of healing in time, even if that hole in your heart is never gone.
I remember this happening as a kid at school, i never really understood how much of a tragedy this was. 10 years on and its happening again and as an adult its truly heartbreaking, prayers out for everyone effected by the fires.
Yeah me too, I knew it was bad, but as you said it was difficult to grasp the enormity of it.....even with what is happeing now, seeing it on the news it is only a snapshot of what is going on
your small step to prevent fire across the globe, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
@@bharatsaurabhelectricauto8193 the fires are the cause of 200 odd years of neglect. Land mismanagement is the cause of these fires. And we don't learn. These fires never occurred under first nations land management.
That is one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever watched. My heart absolutely breaks for those who lost their family members. Those scenes were absolutely horrific and terrifying. I cannot even begin to imagine what it took to face them.
your small step to prevent fire across the globe, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
Many of us followed these absolutely terrifying events from across the globe...whispering prayers...shedding tears...checking on loved ones regardless of the time difference... The loss... Oh my... On every level imaginable... Bravery beyond measure... Fortitude and courage illustrated throughout... "God sent they were..." The hauntingly exquisite dark and pale imagery amongst the blackened tree skeletons is particularly touching... 🇿🇦
They stood by while their grandkids burned in the house, I don't know about you, but there's no way in hell I'd stand around and let the kids burn, I'd die trying to get them out if that's what it took
@@youngeshmoney Umm she almost did. She tried getting in through the laundry door but couldn’t hence the burns to “30% of her body.” They didn’t just stand there. It’s all well and good to say what you can do in this situation but you never know until you are confronted with it.
@@youngeshmoney 1:23:27 you owe it to those grandparents to watch it again, at least the part where she arrives at hospital... That lovely grandmother did fight for her grandchildren and others in her care BUT your comment still stands saying they stood by and did nothing!
@@cbisme6414 I don't owe them shit lol. This whole thing was depressing, definitely not revisiting it. I took the last commenter's word for it and I'll take yours for it also and stand corrected.
I lived in Kinglake at the time, there was no way to prepare They told us it would pass right by us but everything was gone I can’t believe they showed Neeve... she was such a pure soul, I think of her all the time
I was living in Churchill when this occurred (Monash Uni used to be there). I remember showing up 2 weeks after it all ended. Standing at the petrol station. Churchill is surrounded by mountains. You could turn 360 degrees, the mountains were all black. It looked weird and apocalyptic. They protected Churchill town so well. Driving onto university grounds, you could see the setup for the fire command HQ. It was a massive operation. It could have been an absolute disaster without them. Thank you to the fire fighting efforts in Gippsland, you saved so many lives.
@HardWarUK "These man made fires"? you mean the 'man-made' fires that have been flaring up and burning, from before man even evolved? ok then...The Australian bush evolved Pyrophytic trees and need fire to germinate. THis is life in the bush..
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live) the song is also cool th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
I remember the weekend. I was up in echuca watching the southern 80. Hottest day ive ever experienced. Our camp site was over 50 degrees. Saw smoke coming up the river turned on abc radio and by that time Kinglake had already been hit. Many of our mates that were with us knew people from kinglake. Called my family in eltham and they didnt even know there were massive fires until they walked outside to see the smoke. That alone shows how quickly it happend. We had to take the long way home because of the fires i bendigo. Rip to all those who were lost.
Something that I think this documentary captures so well is the utter confusion of the day. I lived on the edge of Broadford near where the Kilmore east fire started and everything happened so quickly. Early on we got a call from a friend out fighting the fires "I've just gone through wandong and they have no idea what's coming. They're on they're rooves in shorts and sandals with a garden hose thinking they can stop what's coming, its a monster" after what felt like no time the fire was in kinglake like 50-60 km away Then in the afternoon we had the wind change and all of a sudden the fires moving for us. Fortunately my old man was all over it and we'd been preparing for hours but I remember thinking Kinglake's on fire. How can the same fire be burning Kinglake and threatening Broadford? half the state would have to be on fire. and then there was Marysville. I don't think I heard about tragedy at Marysville till the Sunday afternoon. The documentary is 100% right. To this day I don't know how no-one knew but the news just never got out. I did get one little smile watching this though because I remember the first thing I heard of Marysville was that *the whole town was gone, every building. But they saved the pub!*
I have grown up in coastal southern California been here my whole half a century. I do know I've been spoiled with great weather. It does have a few dangerous patches such as the desert where personally I've seen 122 temps and the local mountains where below freezing is possible all winter long. I can't imagine the terror and the horror these families must have faced. With caution and terror they confronted a demon of a fire. May God help the pain of the friends and families of the brave victims of this unbelievable and horrible experience.
there is no infrared heat its just heat and radiation heat ... thats all not infrared staff... (do you know what is infrared in physics ? sorry for that) idont want to be nerd guy here ..but after googling...infrared is this: Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes referred to simply as infrared, is a region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter (mm). Infrared waves are longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of radio waves.... nothing involves heat and is very little.... (again sorry buut we need to be precise)
Australian trees are full of oil. They explode just on a hot day. Spontaneous combustion. So on a fire day like this, they just exploded from the intense heat of the fire as these kinds of fire create their own energy and weather, as well as the stuff that starts and initially pushes them as weell
the visible anguish in these poor folks eyes......just heart breaking......i hope in the last 10 years they have healed at least a little bit....bless them all!
We collect drinking water from the glaciers on the west coast of nz, south island as pure drinking water. We didn't collect the water until the thick ash from these fires was gone from them, as it could have well contained ash from the victims. We put flowers on the mountain instead. Love, respect and sympathy from Milford sound.
It's been 15years this week as I write this comment since I was on the truck fighting the kinglake fires and it kills Me remembering all this. R.i.p all you beautiful souls ❤
your small step to prevent fire across glob, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire (MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
this suddenly popped up on my recommended feed. Not sure why it did. Didn't even really know what black Saturday is, or what it entailed. I thought it was just some 10 minute recap of something that had been given a dark name to make it seem more important than it actually was, like videos and things heavily featured in the news usually are... Decided to watch it anyway because I was bored... realized it was none of what I had expected it to be. I knew Australia suffers from bush fires, I have a friend who lives there and she's been telling me about the last ones that have been going on... didn't know about this particular one. Not sure under which rock I've been hiding to miss something as catastrophic as this. This was probably one of the most down to earth documentaries I've ever seen. While there was some drama added to it by not telling us straight up who had survived and who hadn't, it told the story in a painfully clear way. You can tell how much this has affected the people involved, it wasn't glossed over or scripted, I don't think... It was painful to watch, as I feel something like this should be. While every single one of the stories hit hard, the story of the grandparents who looked after their grandchildren and the two neighbor girls probably hit me hardest... the plain survivor guilt, and imagining standing helplessly by as the ones in your care are basically dying in front of you... I don't even want to imagine the feeling. I don't think every part of your sanity will survive such an event. I don't think there's anything they could've done, but I doubt that'll ever make it easier on them. Thanks, youtube, for throwing this onto my feed, it was a very educational watch. And thanks for remastering and uploading this. Even all these years later my heart goes out to all the survivors
Thankyou Mellchiril. These are the fires from a whole decade before the 2019-2020 summer, which were - incredibly - several times larger. The smoke loomed over the cities for a month or two each. It worked its way south from the tropics over 3 months, and through every national park to the snow fields, separate fires but sometimes joining up into a "complex". It wasn't until Valentine's Day 2020 that the last fire was "under control" and soon after that, the crisis control centre was handed over to a Covid task force. We got about a week of okay-times there although I do remember the beaches were filthy from rains and a flood. But gratitude where gratitude's due ... we've avoided around 99% of the Covid deaths per person that other countries had, while the borders were closed in our little paradise until the other week.
The state and local governments didn't heed these warnings, liberals cut funding to the RFS, and the greens blocked fire prevention like fuel like removal, logging, and back burning citing it destroyed habitat and contributed to global warming, now the entire state is on fire devastating habitat and releasing unfathomable amounts of carbon into the air. This is what happens when you get a greedy government cutting funding, and emotional climate change radicals having power, now everyone except the rich suffers and dies.
@@gregorygherkins1884 You need to go back to school and learn how our government works. Every party holds seats, depending on how many votes they got, each party has the ability to vote or vote against legislation. The greens also have power on the local level in councils and state levels which is primarily where most of the decisions regarding fuel load reduction methods are decided. The greens and their voters also make up a large proportion of the radical environmentalist groups who also protested and blocked many of these methods. So you are wrong on all accounts.
@@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32 Salty af. give us some sources for the greens having the balance of power in state and fed levels. Maybe you need to go back to school...
Inside The Firestorm 2010-02-07 8:30pm-10:20pm
Broadcast ratings 639,000
Interactive website web.archive.org/web/20091004221626/abc.net.au/innovation/blacksaturday/
Production credits web.archive.org/web/20100213023531/www.abc.net.au/innovation/blacksaturday/about.htm
Ok
@@53cyclone what?
Those firefighters who drove their truck into the river as a refuge for that woman and her kids while they stood outside to try and keep the flames off said truck so the children could live is incredible bravery.
who else watching this in bushfire season 2019/2020
James Playz I am but this is fire season in California and that’s where I live
After 13 years in SA I am really worried this year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P S stay safe
@@PS-Straya_M8 And it's not even Summer yet 😟
GEOENGINEERING weather modification program's what climate change...
Been fighting fire in California for 30 years. One of the toughest videos I've ever watched. My heart goes out to the people of Australia then and now. God Speed!
dude please pray that this summer isnt another hell.Lived thru 2 big ones (ash wed / black sat).. and mate, its fucking dry atm and theres a spooky vibe as its gonna be a HOT summer.
Thank god for you and people like you keith ❤ grew up in the Blue Mts west of sydney. Have family and friends that volunteer in the rural fire service. We lived thru a couple of fires, 1994 was a close call for many of us but these fires here on the east coast of NSW are like NOTHING i have ever seen. They have a new term for it "pyro cumulous" its a frightening thing to witness. Walls of flames moving at incredible pace. The air up to 1km away being sucked inwards to feed these flames taking the breathe out of you. I know of people traumatised by the sounds of animals screaming not far from them but cant see for the smoke. I am on the central coast of nsw and have family and friends up North still going thru the aftermath of these recent fires. We have ash washing up on beaches not far from here which is a good 5hrs drive away from the main fires that are out of control up north. Thank god for our firies ❤🙏
God ain't gonna do shit, its dedicated MFB and CFA personnel that are going to make a difference. Too bad the state government is more worried about worship in schools and other dumb shit than they are making sure the CFA is paid well and is well supplied.
Mephiston Absolutely! God - Santa for adults.
thank you for your service, its appreciated no matter what country your fighting in
god bless you
I really appreciate the documentary makers for letting Mary talk a bit about her wedding with Peter. He deserves to have a little piece of his life remembered, along with all the other victims. It shows that the creators of this piece really do respect the events and the people that were involved.
Yep lovely to celebrate parts of his life. Poor chap and lady
God I feel bad for that lady. Why does God always snuff out the lives of loving people who were nothing but a credit to the world around them? She handles that with such dignity and grace. She's never met me, but I'll always credit her for my newfound love of port wine jelly. Thank you, Mary.
@@seanbaskett5506so well said, she seems like such a lovely lady. I'm sure her husband was an absolute gentleman too, he looks like one.
You're so right. All these years later I'm watching and I'm not watching about a horrendous fire, I'm seeing a documentary about the lives of real people who died, and the pain of those who didn't die, but live with the loss. That's what made this fire so devastating.
I want my Australian brothers and sisters to know that, here in the United States, the horrors of Black Saturday, and the horrors you Australian friends suffer every bushfire season, are not forgotten. Speaking for myself, as a man from North Carolina, USA: we wish you well, and we wish you health, safety, and happiness. And we love you dearly. You are our friends. You are our fellow humans. I wish the best for you, as I wish the best for my closest friends. Be well.
I mean speak for yourself, there's plenty of Americans who don't care for Australia. You're saying all this to make yourself feel better, but in reality what people who face bushfires or wildfires need is EMPATHY.
❤ thank you
@@Rachel59435why hate on this person? You’re weird
@@Rachel59435What a truly bizarre and unnecessary comment.
@@Rachel59435why do you have to be rude on a very thoughtful and heartfelt comment?
I can't help but feel immensely moved and alerted by this doco... Living in a rural area not far from where this happened, and after the last couple of years of decent rainfall and uninterrupted bush rejuvenation due to the pandemic lockdowns, this has all grown back denser and thicker than before. With the return of el-nino and not much backburning - I'm scared. It's almost a matter of time before another firestorm like this kicks off. I just hope the warning systems and people's bushfire plans are ready for it.
I live in rural Victoria too and I agree with every word you typed. My brother and family were living at kinglake East and they sold up due to PTSD and now live in suburban south-east Queensland
Yeah, I'm in rural NSW and I just hope people learnt from this and 2019, so that the firefighters know what to expect.
There’s a reason we have new systems like VIC emergency now, a must have if you live in rural Victoria, us cfa vollies are thought to prioritise asking for warnings to be issued if they need to be
I feel you there, I just wish the government would backburn national parks and roadsides like it’s terrible how neglected the country is all because of politics and government rules and legislation
I live in Victoria when those fires came I was there I lived through two bush fires I didn’t want a third. But they are saying we are in for it again this summer. I’m still in rural Victoria unfortunately we live with fires. If you are frightened leave your home early DON’T STAY ❤❤
The remastered Black Saturday documentary is a real eye opener, probably the best documentary on an Australian fire.
Arson should be treated as mass murder.
PEG EM OUT AND LET THE FAMILIES DECIDE THE FATE
Sure, I agree, unfortunately the majority of the 160 fires mostly burning out of control were not started by arson nor turned into raging infernos by the addition of a few more liters of petrol.
Roedy Green
Mate I lost multiple family in the deliberate Churchill fire.. arson is domestic terrorism and needs the full force of the law and the same jail time as a “ conventional “ terror attack.
The events of that day stick with me and these latest fires in east vic have me feeling very troubled even through I’m many hundred kilometres away.
@@Nine-Signs : But the problem was that those who deliberately started fires cut off an escape route people could have taken to survive. They should, if caught, be charged with murder and sentenced accordingly.
@@celticlofts I agree, they are some of the sickest individuals that should be dealt with accordingly. I just mean to point out the vast bulk of these fires are not arson is all.
Bless all Australians and good luck.
Watched this last night. Horrible situations, made even worse by arsonists. But I also want to praise the filmmakers. The scene-setting views from satellites, the interviews, the use of burnt forests for pictures of the deceased, the photography by the local residents...I can only sit in awe and admiration for this production. Your treatment of those affected by the horrors was admirably respectful. I wish every newsperson, TV news department, and documentarian wannabe would watch this and take many notes. My respect goes to all of you and all of the survivors. Your work is greatly appreciated.
I keep watching this documentary over the years and this day will be forever etched in my heart. As an emergency nurse working a double shift on Triage at The Northern Hospital in Epping at the time, we had bus loads of people coming through for burns related injuries and smoke inhalation from the fire zone. Some also for post traumatic stress disorder post what they had experienced. Many firemen who had experienced loss themselves and seen horrors they would wish they could forget. The loss many had experienced extended far past loosing a house. Many had lost loved ones, memories, homes, neighbours, and friends. These were rural country towns where everyone knows and is friends with everyone. They came to the hospital an empty shell, flat and and in constant deep thought. The sorrow visible in both their eyes and voice. We had staff leave on the day finding out their homes were destroyed or loved ones were missing. The next day we found out one staff member had lost her son who was caught In one of the first towns to be hit. No warning at all.
After my shift I went home and I did nothing as didn’t know what to do with myself. All you can do is reflect on the day and cry. This day will never leave me and I feel for those that experienced it first hand. My thoughts will always be with you.
This is one of the most gripping, terrifying and heartbreaking documentaries I’ve ever watched.
Sadly a couple of the stories of people that died here that broke me most weren't even mentioned here if the ones that were weren't heartbreaking enough
People often believe they have time however, once you have witnessed a large bush fire & the speed they can travel across the ground you realise that time is the one thing you don't have.
ikabody There’s a video on TH-cam of a guy filming his neighbours burnt out cars with charred bodies inside. He knew the people, he was fleeing the fires the same time they were. The reason they died - the wife wouldn’t leave until she had her makeup on. So so stupid, in hindsight.
@@JohnMcMahon. yep, a fire going through eucalyptus in dry conditions travels very fast & needs to be seen to be believed.
@@ikabody I've seen some footage from the current fires and I finally "got it". It was so frightening.
Black Saturday, I saw smoke far off, thought I was safe before I left my newly bought house, so took photos inside the house for insurance sake in case. Next thing I knew, I was running to the CFA shed for my life, the fire was that fast. I came to know that cars on the road could not outrun the onslaught of the fire and that's why people died in their vehicles. I see smoke plume this summer and I am out of Kinglake as fast as possible. I have my evacuation things at the front door so all I have to do is grab that, bugger the house, I'm not dying with it like my entire neighbour family next road up did.
Just for reference, a small fire started in a small trash can will go from that to flashover (where all the contents in the room ignite simultaneously; even a firefighter in full protective clothing only has a few seconds to get out once flashover occurs, anyone not in protective clothing cannot survive this) , in about 3-4 minutes. This is why you NEVER go back into a burning building.
Remember to stay low, you can breathe close to the ground and it's not as hot. Find the nearest exit, THIS MEANS WINDOWS, DOORS, OR ANY OTHER MEANS OF EGRESS! People forget this and will try to leave the way they normally enter and exit the home.
A house fire doubles in size every 30 seconds or so. It's easy to be complacent or misjudge how "small" a fire can be.
These same rules can apply to brush fires. Don't underestimate it. Ever. You can rebuild a home or buy a new car. *YOU CANNOT REPLACE A HUMAN!*
This documentary should be required viewing for every Australian school children/young adult.
ITHEREONETHATHASNT Man are you alright mate? You seem very frustrated holy shit relax mate, grab yourself a icy pole, turn on the Tele and cool down
Here here
Not only that here in UK young children have visits from fire brigade,like my kids had in their school here in Cheshire England fire people brought in fire tents kids got to witness how hard it is being in smoke,I know it not as bad as being in a fire but it sure made my kids realise how awful fire can be,thinking of all you Aussies here at my homeland UK,and wish you luck,we do care.x
@ITHEREONETHATHASNT, Okay Boomer
Well I am not sure about that. Full respect to your concern, but it still may be too soon out of respect for the suffering and the dead.
This was absolutely heartbreaking. The Clark family just touched my heart. I am a grandmother and cannot imagine the agony she has gone thru.
i know the clarks/buchanans and im sad to say that Mick clark was was in the documentary passed away about a week ago which so sad
@@macpackthebeast1313 That is sad. I am so sorry to hear this.
The entire thing was hard to watch but the Marysville CFA captain was the one that got me most... And he continued to do that which I can't even imagine. That and the couple having the baby at the end then showing of the dads students as a teacher, that got me more than anything else.
In saying that the Clark grandkids if I watched correctly fled from Whittlesea which was never impacted by the fire in the end. That is the hardest part
@@lukethiele3197the bucnanan children fled from there home in kinglake west on national park road, they went to there grand parents house which was the clarks because it was deemed a safe house and was further from the fire
@@macpackthebeast1313 thanks for clarifying that. I hope the family are doing well now.
I’m glad I’ve found this video. I was actually in the Black Saturday Fires. I was only about 3 or 4 at the time but there is this one image that is burned into my mind. I was playing with my dollhouse and I looked out of the window just diagonal to me because it suddenly got so dark, I was curious as to why it got so dark and then I could only see a wall of flames, a massive wall of flames. even though I was young I just knew that this wasn’t normal. There was a blue sky a few minutes ago, what happened to it? We were in the middle of the fires, our house only got a bit burnt and we were lucky to actually get out of those fires alive. My brother and I had to seek refuge at a cousins place for a few days while my parents and pop sorted out our home situation. My dog Bow sadly died in the fire from stress and a heart attack, he lived a long good life though.
I also do remember my mum making a last phone call to my grandmother, we didn’t have a good communication source and we thought the fire was not as close as it was. That’s why my mum made that phone call, it was literally heart wrenching hearing my mum say “I don’t think we are going to make it, I love you.”
But everything is good now, my mum goes to my school and educates the younger levels on the fires and shares her experience to raise awareness.
Thank you for sharing your experience Ella
Thank you for your story, Ella. I am so glad your family is okay but also sorry about the loss of your dog. Your Mum sounds amazing.
Whoever deliberately lit some of the fires are disgusting
Couldn't agree more. Why add to the destruction of your own country and fellow people.
@@jadsmvs8651 He needs a public lynching, piece of crap that he is
@Bill DeSmet Some of my cousins were first responders to Kinglake and Marysville after the fires, mate the stories they told me will send shivers down your spine, some streets were bumper to bumper of burnt out cars full of corpses of people trying to drive away at the last second.
May they fucking rot.
@@jadsmvs8651 Why would they let a mass murder out
This is the most remarkable TH-cam I've ever seen. I cried watching this 10 years on and my heart goes out to you. Absolutely harrowing to hear your stories but you make all of us in Victoria so profoundly proud of you. Such stoicism in the face of basically the apocalypse. You will forever inspire us with your courage. Heroes to the max, all of you.
This was intensely hard to watch.
My family lives in the hills of Perth W.A. and it's also where I grew up.
We've seen fires come and go and lost property and memories along the way. But this was to another level altogether. And I pray Australia NEVER sees a day like this again. Ever.
@@wagypsy ~ AMEN to that Aaron! ln ALL things, give GLORY to Jesus! :D
@@theresa42213 amen to that Sister.
Some times staying in the bush,that's the answer
Some of the bravest people I've ever heard, retelling those harrowing stories.
@@achut5390 0ppo
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges.
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizon,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror....
The wide brown land for me Dorothea Mackellar 1908
One of the most heart breaking things I have watched in so long. I will admit I cried through most of it. We Aussies really are tough when we need to be...
I'm a grown man and could not watch this through without crying... Peter Avola and 97 year old Charlie at the end made me weep but as a young parent the Buchanan kids, the teacher's student mentioned at the end and a few really young kids among the photos of the 15 that died on one street in Kinglake really did it for me.... 😢😢
This is, by far, the very best documentary on a disaster - or on anything - that I have ever seen. Champion accomplishment. Well done!
A masterpiece. Well constructed and very sympathetic toward the victims.
The tremor in their voices is heartbreaking.
I'm so very sorry for the deaths and injuries of the victims and survivors.
I can honestly say. I was a volunteer who went to help with them fires. I was in a local brigade Benloch about 30 minutes from Kilmore. It was the worse day in my history of CFA. My parents did Ash Wednesday in the 80’s. They knew what this was like and they told me to brace for the worst.
Patrick Coombes
Thanks for the difference you made that day.
Bless you and your folks.
that's true
I very much feel for what you went through. You helped and that is a remarkable thing to do.
Wow, that was powerful. I was at the pool with my kids at Yarra junction that day. I remember looking at the massive smoke plume rising. Said to the kids, we’re leaving, that is serious...I didn’t realise my sister was in mortal peril in Kinglake. She made it through due to her awesome husband. Gary Gunn. On ya Gazza, your a champ.
So lessons heard is no matter what authorities recommend mine would be run run run too.thinking of you all here in uk
wow that would of been scary you where close to Australia's most deadly fire
Most Australian sentence ever at the end but god so glad
i was in jeeralang, I lost 20 fri3nds and neighbours I can't even watch this
@@macpackthebeast1313 luckily not close enough, though it rained ash for about two days.
I’m a wildfire survivor from British Columbia, Canada, from a similar time frame! If you haven’t been in the dragons belly, you just can not understand the heat, the chaos, the panic, the fear, the “welders torch” blast of wind and heat!!
I LOVE my “down under” friends from Oz! My band mate and lead guitarist is from Melbourne - moved to Canada at 20.
This is a great doc!
Peace
what year? I was in BC but left after 2016
Hell on earth, every summer we prepare for another day like this. 27 children were among the victims on this day as a child then and a parent now it's hard to grasp.
I have never had a documentary have such an emotional impact on me! This should be a teaching tool in all educational systems in our country and internationally. Everyone should share with their friends and loved ones to educate on the self generating powers of fires. RIP to the souls that suffered this terrible event.
So true should be shown in science class to teach kids how easy it is for fire to get out of hand and be unstoppable
just watched this in geography, i live in melbourne though!
We need to learn to manage the land to prevent fires of this magnitude.
I saw this in a year 9 Advance class. Class ended before it could finish so I watched it at a later date.
@@2partiesnotpreferred226
Ought to hang the people who started these fires. They knew it was perfect conditions to start with a cigarette or something similar. It happens here in North America, also. Rotten people.
This happened my first day visiting Australia. I was staying with family friends in Hurstbridge where some of the family left to stay further away in Melbourne and I can remember like it was yesterday the orange glow across the horizon. The “Camp fire” in California last year is scarily similar to the events from that day. So tragic.
15 year anniversary of this horrible day, RIP to all who were lost🙏
Sitting here watching this in California waiting for what will probably be, once again, an unprecedented fire season. I don't have the words to honor the courage and pain of Australians going through all this. Just sending y'all and your firefighters kind thoughts, hoping that you and they, and we and ours, make it through 2021 with a minimum of suffering and loss... we would love them to be bored!
I hope your safe from the fires in CA
A very moving account of the lives of some of those who were lost and those who survived. May the 173 people who perished rest peacefully, along with the stoic 97 year old Charlie Richardson.
i lost my dad in black saturday we lived in strathewen he went back to worn his mum and dad but my pa was warning the neighbours my pa got out same as my mum but my nan and dad were stuck feel so bad that on my mums birthday she lost her husband now every birthday is an reminder rip love u dad
Oh that’s so devastating for you and your mama!! Prayers and hugs.. may the Lord give you hope and comfort that you’ll be reunited one day in his Kingdom. 😢
I am so sorry to hear that it is tragic and unforgivable that people lit these fires on purpose
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Very sorry for your loss. I know it's been awhile but when we lose our loved ones there is no time limit on grief.
Omg those poor grand parents that story broke my heart, I cried. Bless hope those sisters and brothers and young girl got a express ticket to heaven for protecting each other. And the grand parents please be strong forgive yourself. And the mother may your wounds heal xxx
i had the privelige of plastering their new house aswell as other Kinglake homes.... i never saw war or battlefields, but it was totally wiped out.like a Hbomb....toughest people on earth..... fucking dry atm her, got a bad vibe about this summer..........
same mate that made me cry
@@smalltowninnewmexico Your bad vibe was justified. Can remember wondering if we'd learnt nothing from this, seeing Mallacoota and the like. We know the undergrowth and fuel loads need to be maintained. Too many decisions and policies being made about this back in Melbourne where it matters least. To lose a home is one thing, but those you love. There's no words to put it in.
As far as I’m concerned anyone that deliberately lights a fire are comparable to a terrorist and should be treated exactly like that
Oh, absolutely. It's horrific what these people can do.
@@sneepsnorp1404 who? It doesn't mention anyone in the video. Maybe someone's comments were deleted so I'm confused
@BotanistRM Parkinson If you watched the whole video you'd hear that many of the fires were started deliberately!
Arsonists should be dropped in the center of the fire. An eye for an eye. May the victims of that dreadful day Rest in Peace. Amen!
@@jenmb2679 It said at the beginning that the second fire was deliberately set.
This makes the Waldo Canyon Fire here in Colorado look like a tiny spark; and believe me, Waldo Canyon was nothing to sneeze at. This is so terrifying. My heart goes out to all survivors of this horrific day.
This is the first time I’ve seen or watched from beginning to end some of the stories...I’m heartbroken over this for our Australian friends...my condolences to all families who lost loved one’s...I am truly sorry...and bless all those courageous people who fought for their lives...thank you for this post...much love from Arizona ♥️
thank you for the quality upload! your efforts are appreciated
That Jason Lynn is a beautiful beautiful man and my heart breaks hearing him recount that day.
Was a happy ending that his family got out safe, and he was lucky that he made it.
Was living in the Dandenong ranges at the time . Was a terrible stressful day . Me and my Family were very lucky . To those that lost everything my deepest sympathies. I still remember the aftermath. So sad even 10 years on it brings me to tears .
Poignant and deeply personal. Thank you for making this available and remastering it. I will never forget this, even having outrun several fires in California in 2017. The filmakers did a fantastic job telling the story in a respectful way. Thank you.
so relieved to see that guy standing with his wife and kids at the end!
This is one of my most vivid memories. Seeing flames on the horizon, evacuating and leaving. Beechworth wasn’t even one of the worst fires.
The fires on the Sunshine Coast recently were also lit on purpose.
I don't care if they are kids, they should be given an appropriate sentence for for destroying multiple homes and bush land. 25 years? Maybe more, if you're old enough to light a fire, you're old enough to know how dangerous it is, especially on a hot day.
There is always going to be kids or a nut willing to light a fire but the conditions are the issue, it's dry, the air is dry, the humidity is low to make it dangerous. Without that it's a couple of kids, bored, having a smoke.
There are a lot of people there with nothing to lose
What is controlled fire?
@@blugaledoh2669 Specially trained people burn down sections of forest intentionally so that when the faster spreading forest fire reaches that area there is no flammable materials to spread. Smaller fires can be controlled because they dont reach the high temperatures that make it unstoppable.
Send the firebugs out to the frontline to fight the fires they lit. If they survive, they've earned their place in society.
Anyone who deliberately lights a bushfire, should be locked up & have the key thrown away! Period!
Nah they deserve much worse, mate.
More mindless much mob. For people like you or is always someone else's fault, responsibility,job. Fires are part of the landscape and are necessary for the bush to regenerate. Be prepared.
Arsonists should be burned at the stake...EVIL BASTARDS.
Fighting a losing battle trying to lock the government up
As I have written before, there is always going to be kids or a nut willing to light a fire but the conditions lately in Australia (NSW, Queensland) are the issue. Way way north it's dry, the air is dry, the humidity is low to make it dangerous. Without that it's a couple of kids, bored, having a smoke.
I had this in my recommendations a few weeks ago; I watched it and was blown away completely. I thought about this documentary for days. The speed and intensity of this fire was absolutely insane. The descriptions of living through this were horrifying and heart wrenching.
The footage is terrifying. My heart breaks for those grandparents. For everyone who lost thier lives and those who survived only to lose everything and everyone around them. My heart goes out to those experiencing the fires now in 2020.
For those interested, ‘Kinglake-350’ is a great read, that explains what happened and how, as well as showing multiple different perspectives from survivors. Would thoroughly recommend
Just ordered it a few days ago.
My closest friends lived at Strathewen, the last house at the bottom of the hill to Kinglake. It took days to find them because no one even realised there was a house there once. Shattering event. 😪
hopebear06 sorry condolences
One of my best friends lived in strathewen too and they’re still there ✊😔
Chin up
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
the song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
That's horrible sorry you had to go through😣
Sitting here in Bendigo watching this doco, we were barely licked compared to places like Kinglake and Marysville, I drove through Marysville earlier this year and the dead black stumps littering the forest are a testimony to the ferocity of the fires.. The bravery of the locals and the CFA make me proud to be an Australian.
Prayers for Australia 2019/2020. God bless. Be safe all. Get out and live to fight another day.❤Love from Alaska.
@CCP Perrett Thank you 🙏🏽 💞
There's some pretty fucked fires going on right now so gl to the people in the Gippsland and more
Save your prayers, send us some more equipment and personnel, please.
Thanks- and please send rain!!
And up near the QLD border there was (or still might be) an out of control fire, that could start more like those monstrous fires
I was married in that beautiful church in Marysville & when we awoke the next morning my husband & I said to each other ‘we did it, we got thru the day’....then we turned on the tv & what we were confronted with was something so unimaginable & so unbelievable that we still grieve the loss of all those lost over 11 years ago😢😢😢
Me and my sister go on board titanic 2 in 3 ciass
Having lived in Kinglake West, and fought the fires first hand. It's hard to watch. However, given the fires this week the improvement has been unbelievable. Please don't take the threat of fire lightly and don't think it won't happen to you. Just leave
I was at a party north of the city in Melbourne watching what I first thought was a thunderstorm for one second and then I realised what it really was. Instantly the party was cancelled and we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to ABC radio and feeling sick. RIP to all those lost, this is documentary is a great tribute to those who fought and lost. I lived down on the Surf Coast at the time and a month or two after the fires we hosted people from the area, I took a heap fishing, you could tell they were severely traumatised. The whole thing makes you feel proud for being Australian as people here genuinely care for each other, especially in the country and that is incredibly rare in the world these days.
Our son works in film animation in Vancouver British Columbia. He worked on the movie”Only the Brave” and did much of the animated scenes. The film was a tribute to the fire squad that perished in the California fire.
That movie was a good insight into the jobs that the firies have to deal with when fighting this sort of fire, loved the film and have so much respect for firefighters
Thank You for sharing this & doing such a fine job remastering it! I am so truly sorry to all then families that lost a love one to this truly sad & really unbelievable firestorm on what is now called "Black Saturday"! This documentary is truly amazing, but I can't even fathom what the survivors actually went through, or what the ones who didn't make it what they went through trying to escape! I can't imagine going through anything even a tiny little bit like this! My family & I live in Ohio, US. My husband & I have 2 daughters 20yrs & 16yrs. My 16yrs daughter & myself absolutly truly love Australia! We would love one day to get to vistit your beautiful country! You all will be in my prays!
I have read the stories of nearly all the victims and many survivors... most are too sad to share especially some of the 27 children who didn't make it along with most of their parents.
What a truly brilliant documentary. It perfectly, and sensitively captures so many of the individual stories of those affected by the fire and at the same time, takes us on the fires' journey from start to finish - all done with a level of empathy that makes you feel like the narrator is holding your hand throughout. I cried from start to finish and I marveled at the overwhelming power of Mother Nature. She is cruel; unforgiving. She is breathtaking and inspiring. All at the same time. And mankind will always be at her mercy.
To all that may not have known this, the fires actually created its own weather system and there was no telling of what way the wind was blowing, because it was blowing ALL directions
Sadly, the conditions on that day were perfect for such a fire to create its own weather system as a storm spotter and amateur weather forecaster here In the Mallee we were in the middle of a 2-week heatwave before Black Saturday, The night before it happened I knew straight away from the forecast it was going to be a bad day the warm nights had been keeping me up so on the Saturday morning I turned on ABC Radio at about 7AM. By 9AM every weather station In Victoria has reached 40 degrees, something I haven't heard of happening ever since I had an interest In weather, which has been most of my life.
I was In front of the PC all day observing the weather conditions & fire situation with ABC Radio on In the background I could not believe what I was hearing I used to travel to North East Victoria quite often when I was a child, The Mallacoota fire a couple of years ago created its own thunderstorm which makes such a fire even more dangerous people had to evacuate onto the beach. In 2014 I had to evacuate my home because there were bushfires 12kms south of Ouyen (100kms south of Mildura) got the call at 11:30PM on a Friday night & it's something that always stays with you, thankfully our town was saved by the many fire crews that came down to help our local bridge fight the fires.
This was a very moving documentary, but we must remember that these are only a handful of stories from that terrible day, with so many other heartbreaking stories not told, May all those lost on that terrible day rest in peace & sending love to their family & friends & we must not forget the bravery of our first responders who battled these fires showed on that day.
Nothing will ever shatter the Australian spirit , although we may have been down we were never out. God bless Australia🇦🇺
PhelixJMech ...As I stated before. Aussies are tough, obstinate buggers. I just admire them 100 plus per-cent.
Aussies are Very brave ...
@@wcstevens7 Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
the song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
I can’t express how I feel , what can anyone say. It’s just too much. Australia is part of us Brits always will be. I am crying for you, just unbelievable and real . My sympathy🇬🇧
It's weird reading this comment and realizing that now Australians have given up and let the government shepherd fellow Aussies into camps...
It was explaining to me that perhaps Aussies trust the government too much but surely they must lead that not lead them astray or fail them so they do what they say or absent of being told what to do they do nothing.
What a tragedy, I feel for you my Aussie brothers and sisters
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
the song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing this. I remember watching the news that day in Gosford, NSW, but I didn't really understand the intensity or magnitude of the fire at that time. But this really shows just how horrific it really was. My heart goes out to everyone who was involved. I hope Australia never experiences another day like this.
Hope you are well now that we have these kinda fires here in nsw. Take care everyone!
Regards from Sydney
@@paulfacklamm5150 I live in Victoria now. But thank you. I hope you stay safe up there!
@@paulfacklamm5150Well you haven't had a firestorm yet so no you don't have this type of fire at all, just bad bush fires.
@@jusomebody3069 bad bushfires caused by poor land management. These fires were 200 odd years in the making. Before 1788 these kinds of fires didn't happen.
@@2partiesnotpreferred226I'm Joy you must have exhaustedly check the fossil record, interviewed many of the elders and traditional owners of the land the other evidence from the first Australian verbal records and painstakingly pieced together a rigorous proof grounded in science an empirical evidence and published in the preeminent scientific and not only the test of review by peers preeminent but indeed shifted the general consensus of scientific towards your conclusions which you have so diligently applied the most rigorous scrutiny that the scientific allows demands and requires and have been assured by so many extremely well respected credential demonstrably proven beyond a reasonable or otherwise that have you been a PhD candidate will be calling you Dr buy now and no doubt received more unsolicited office of research ranting fellowships then I get spammed by Clive f****** Palmer political advertising in blown the complete socks off all these an address apologists by demonstrating thousand losses from the United kingdom destroyed almost instantly as soon as they arrived the systematic widespread coordinated and effective method of management that the first Australians had instituted without any form of written communication and replaced it with a coordinated and sophisticated replacement strategy of instituting a 200 year policy for systemic widespread coordinated mismanagement of the bush do maximize the disastrous consequences of highly stochastic events like lightning strikes and fuckwhit arsonists. Brothers have one question, is everything I have just dribble out of my mouth imperfect cemetery to what bad seafood dribbles out the other end true or is it as equally as full of shit as all the dribble I just spewed out and use voice recognition foist the ad talking she has one thing actually moving my fingers to type it in the bastion of educated logical analysis that is the comments section of TH-cam OR ineffectual dribbling of shit to an audience that no one in power gives a fuk about except apparently equally ineffectual dribbling of shit that is the propaganda arm of the Chinese communist party and the propaganda arms of deeply unpopular an evil rulers who are despise by the youth of their own country in Iran and the bunch of kleptomaniac crooks and gangsters (if you can call a nation that has 146 million people and a GDP only slightly larger than Australia with it's 26 million actually being 'control' buy any sensible definition of the word the gas station that used to be known as Russia).
This is quite possibly the best yet saddest documentary I have seen. I thank you for uploading it. Nature took over on that day.
this is my aunts story,
so she was chilling at home with the AC on with my dad and my aunt was staying in Bali so she kept her farm with her friends. unfortunately the farm is where a fire was headed at the farm so they let the animals go and ran out of there, a couple days later when the weekend passed they found the animals all together at the lake!
If you haven't noticed already, it's narrated by Hugo Weaving... just saying
Holy shit...I think you're right?
@@Brumbieman Is that a question?
Shakespeare studying actor that's why he talks the way he does
I didn’t notice...thanks for pointing it out Frank. Hugo’s a champ.
I went looking, and you're bang on. trove.nla.gov.au/work/81105756?q&versionId=94395521
I lived that day. These people were our friends and neighbours. So many lives lost...our kids will never forget their friends
I was 11 at the time, I still remember this like it was yesterday, we felt pretty safe until the Kilmore fire changed direction and the Bendigo fire was set then we were essentially at risk of being trapped, my mum forced me to watch every news report on fire safety, she made me memorise our fire plan everyday and have everything I needed packed and ready in a single bag ready to go, our house was saved thanks to our amazing SES and CFA who kept the fire 20-30 mins away from my house. I’ll never forget the sight of the red and black skies.
2023 March I watched this video. I liked the way the narrator took me on a journey through this experience. I know more than most about wildfires living in Northern California and Nevada in my life. Presently near the Oregon border. The first fire season in our new home in 2020 we were on our deck watching a fire raging across the road coming up from the small valley below. The winds and fire fighters took it back down the already burned hill!
The fire in the video reminded me of some of the California fires over the years.
The best part of this documentary near the end was 97 year old Charlie (who lost a lifetime of property) reminding me the fire went beyond arson. It was mother nature who raged on indiscriminately.
For anyone wondering in between Kinglake and kinglake West there is a power Grid so both of their power goes out at the same time including Pheasant Creek in the middle
This wasn’t an ordinary day in Melbourne, one of the most eeriest days and you just had this feeling something horrible was going to happen.
1:12:50 I was in Strathewen that day. With my mum, dad and 7yo sister. At my pregnant aunties house. We were one of the very few places that didn't burn. The fire got to within 50m before the wind changed and saved us.
At about 3pm today: I'm working from home looking out the window is I see a pair of Mud-larks turn up, something different and never seen them before. They look a bit nervous and fly away, crows call and fly away, I go outside and can smell a fire...a fresh fire. I can see a bit of smoke haze coming from the east erly wind and notice some kangaroos racing off through the bush. I check the Fire Emergency website, see an alert for upwind of me. I ring them on the non-emergency line and get put on hold. Bugger this!, I'm calling 000 (919 emergency) and find out there is a fire burning. Great! On a bush edge block, been weirdly dry for months making it ready to burn and a fire has started on the about 5 kilometres away. I've done it before so I put on some heavy cotton clothes, boots, hat and trash boxes to get my special things ready in case I need to take off in a hurry as this place is not defend-able. Luckily the temperature has dropped to just below 30C (90F) but the wind is blowing. I put some water hoses on the lawn, get on the roof to block all the drain holes and put water in the roof drains. (Fire gets under the eaves easily with wind.) I ring neighbours and housemate letting them know to grab the pets if needs be. As it turned out the fire eased off, wind dropped and temperature so I just chatted with the neighbours dressed in khaki overalls. 🙄 Living in Brisbane I never thought I would be worried about fire with the rainfall and humidity it gets, but it hasn't and all the locals I speak with are concerned about it. Better than Black Saturday in Victoria less than 10 years ago....but now the fires are starting to happen here, 1600kms north of Kilmore...WTF
Just now seeing this, and as I watched it, I couldn't help, but think about the fires that have ravaged California, and the people who have lost their houses, And for some their lives, and/or loved ones!
But to see the deviations there in Australia, and here in California is simply incomprehensible!
I'm from Ft. Worth, Texas, and while I've been through tornadoes, and hurricanes, none will ever I don't think match the total devastation of a wildfire!
My prayers are with the survivors of Australia, and California!...
Death penalty to the fire starters who added to the horror of so many.
You lost someone too?
Matthew lloyd thought a bout smoking at a garage that day.... ....nm.... Nm.... Nm. Nmm tbc
It shouldn’t be a crime to backburn your own property in an emergency.
I’m in Peregian. They caught 2 teens who lit a massive fire here and the community has told their families they aren’t welcome here and they must leave. The courts won’t even tell the public what’s going to happen to them as protecting their rights seems to be above ours.
It’s time these arsonists are charged with terrorism and given mandatory jail sentences. Only then is this going to stop.
@@herpderp7264 thank you for this information. As harsh as it seems, I agree with you. Its the only deterrent. The one thing missing in this documentary and in much of the coverage is the sheer amt of devastation to the wildlife which is what has me in tears this past week.
I saw your comment as I logged into YT to check Megabattie's channel for info on rescue efforts to try to contribute. I hope you and yours escaped and send warm wishes for a safe future. (P.S. are you a snake afficianado?)
A profound eulogy to all affected by Black Saturday, their beloved dead, and collective memory.
As a Victorian, I was 5 when this happened. I remember little. This documentary however is such a touching, and heartfelt way to express the horror experienced on that day in 2009. It is simply unfathomable how extraordinary the fires were, and to think it is just kilometres from where I live in Melbourne. I truly recommend this documentary to anyone.
yes, i was 5 too :')) i remember starting prep just after the fires and what i do remember was that the air smelled like smoke for days and we even put wet towels on the ground to dampen the room
The thing I remember most clearly about Black Saturday was initially joking with my wife about how the weather people had got the forecast wrong. We'd been told to expect 44 (from memory) in Melbourne and I'd got up early and watered all our gardens. Mid morning I went out to do some work in my shed and it was still quite cool and on the way out I made some joke about how I could have slept in and left the watering until later in the day. I'd been in the shed about half an hour before the wind arrived and when it did, it was like something huge had slammed against my shed wall. I wouldn't be surprised if the temperature jumped about 15 degrees in as many minutes and I retreated back into the house for air-conditioning fairly quickly. Around mid afternoon we started watching the news and even though I'd grown up in the bush and had one of the Ash Wednesday fires close to us, the sheer scale of what happened across Victoria that day was hard to wrap your head around. I'd love to say I hope we never see anything like it again, but sadly I'm sure we will.
We lived in Humbug Scrub, north-west of Adelaide, at the time of these horrible events & followed them on the news. One year later we moved to Panton Hill, north of Melbourne and close to Kinglake, and on a Sunday thought "let's go for a drive", but nothing had prepared us for the still visible devastation the closer we got to Kinglake. Entire stretches of forest burned down to stumps, black stems and charcoal everywhere, no animals, no green, and an eerie silence. When we drove through Kinglake towards the pub we passed by many "vacant", charred blocks with fireplaces & chimneys still standing (that's where previously houses had been), and in the pub the remaining locals had prepared a memorial area for their lost neighbors & friends, which we viewed in horror and awe, as the full reality of the catastrophe hit us. Many residents had left Kinglake already, as they had lost everything and could not cope with their grief; those who stayed were battle-hardened by their fight against the fires and the love for their village - but the scars ran deep, and tears flowed when people shared their stories with us. When we drove home in the evening no-one in the car said a word until we arrived. Since then we take bushfires extremely serious and always have a plan ('which basically is: be prepared, have bags packed, and leave as early as possible with the entire family, pets etc. - no-one is to stay behind). Years later Humbug Scrub exploded in a bushfire; very close friends of ours lived pretty much in the middle of it, managed to defend their home, and survived - they were lucky, super-prepared, had 20 metre fire breaks around the house, a bore, a dam, fire pumps running on fuel, several generators, etc. etc. They battled for 2 days and nights without sleep, and then it was over and the home saved. The images they sent us afterwards made our skin crawl; had we still lived there we most likely would not have survived, as our home was at the end of a kilometer-long no through-road. To this day we all are very grateful that we have been spared, but also remember all those who weren't as fortunate as we were.
What we never understood was (a) how in such a catastrophic situation people INTENTIONALLY lit additional fires, (b) why the existing policy of "stay and defend" wasn't instantly abolished and people on the news, the radio, the internet told to leave asap, and (c) how on earth the extremely important fire-warning for Kinglake, Panton Hill etc. got lost and was never broadcasted. THIS probably costed dozens of lives. It was changed to "leave early" in the aftermath of the desaster, but not during the events. Heads rolled afterwards, but again this doesn't bring people back. Hopefully such a fire never happens again.
Easily one of the best-put-together documentaries I've ever seen. The graphics, the presenting, the camera work, the scripting, all of it top-notch. It's rare to see something that does a good job with a factual presentation that can still rip your heart out like this one does. Brilliant and very sad.
Couldn't have said that any better, this was so hard to watch but so well put together and presented that it had me glued to it and watching several times.
I've seen some fires but that 45:07 is a vision from hell. Can't even imagine what it must have been like to see that right before your eyes...
Thinking of you guys Down Under, having just read the news that NSW is currently burning with 'unprecedented fires' again...
Love from Portugal
tomalapevides yeah man, I lived in Beechworth, it was my sisters birthday party and we had to evacuate. My region has catastrophic fire danger tomorrow which is the highest.
@@stingingroger7576 Yeah I've seen the news... Be safe out there mate, everything can be replaced/rebuilt, except for life
@@tomalapevides yeah man will do. Plan is to leave early, my dad was in great danger trying to stay and defend back in 09
Over 300 ft tall the fires are in that footage fucking crazy.
that's what Eucalytpus does - blowtorch
I'm a Aussie, but this sunk my heart and brought the tears with it . Mother nature doesn't judge .
This is a documentary everyone should watch once in their life. I live in Melbourne's North and remember Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday all too well, would have driven through those areas countless times before and since. One thing about the Australian spirit is you can knock it down but it will bounce back up. So many heroes and so much tragedy involved here. If there is a God, I dont know for sure but if he exists may he bless the families living in and around the bushfires raging through Australia as I type this on the 3rd January 2020.
True
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
the song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Except maybe those affected.
I don't know either, but my heart asks the same. I just know I would never recover after telling my child that her children have died in my home, that I'm okay, but that we couldn't get to the kids. I would feel heavy as if I put a gun to their heads and took their lives. I know I cannot run through fire, but I would feel awful anyway.
This was really well done and incredibly moving / heartbreaking. Especially knowing these events keep repeating. I hope everyone who lost someone here finds closure and some sense of healing in time, even if that hole in your heart is never gone.
I remember this happening as a kid at school, i never really understood how much of a tragedy this was. 10 years on and its happening again and as an adult its truly heartbreaking, prayers out for everyone effected by the fires.
Yeah me too, I knew it was bad, but as you said it was difficult to grasp the enormity of it.....even with what is happeing now, seeing it on the news it is only a snapshot of what is going on
your small step to prevent fire across the globe, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
@@bharatsaurabhelectricauto8193 the fires are the cause of 200 odd years of neglect. Land mismanagement is the cause of these fires. And we don't learn. These fires never occurred under first nations land management.
That is one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever watched. My heart absolutely breaks for those who lost their family members. Those scenes were absolutely horrific and terrifying. I cannot even begin to imagine what it took to face them.
your small step to prevent fire across the globe, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
Many of us followed these absolutely terrifying events from across the globe...whispering prayers...shedding tears...checking on loved ones regardless of the time difference...
The loss...
Oh my...
On every level imaginable...
Bravery beyond measure...
Fortitude and courage illustrated throughout...
"God sent they were..."
The hauntingly exquisite dark and pale imagery amongst the blackened tree skeletons is particularly touching...
🇿🇦
Extremely well done documentary. I cannot imagine the weight those poor grandparents are carrying. My heart goes out to them.
They stood by while their grandkids burned in the house, I don't know about you, but there's no way in hell I'd stand around and let the kids burn, I'd die trying to get them out if that's what it took
@@youngeshmoney
Umm she almost did. She tried getting in through the laundry door but couldn’t hence the burns to “30% of her body.” They didn’t just stand there. It’s all well and good to say what you can do in this situation but you never know until you are confronted with it.
@@TheJayden3977 oh I didn't hear that part, must've missed it
@@youngeshmoney 1:23:27 you owe it to those grandparents to watch it again, at least the part where she arrives at hospital...
That lovely grandmother did fight for her grandchildren and others in her care BUT your comment still stands saying they stood by and did nothing!
@@cbisme6414 I don't owe them shit lol. This whole thing was depressing, definitely not revisiting it. I took the last commenter's word for it and I'll take yours for it also and stand corrected.
I lived in Kinglake at the time, there was no way to prepare
They told us it would pass right by us but everything was gone
I can’t believe they showed Neeve... she was such a pure soul, I think of her all the time
I was living in Churchill when this occurred (Monash Uni used to be there). I remember showing up 2 weeks after it all ended. Standing at the petrol station. Churchill is surrounded by mountains. You could turn 360 degrees, the mountains were all black. It looked weird and apocalyptic. They protected Churchill town so well. Driving onto university grounds, you could see the setup for the fire command HQ. It was a massive operation. It could have been an absolute disaster without them. Thank you to the fire fighting efforts in Gippsland, you saved so many lives.
I even heard some victims jumped in their water tanks and were boiled alive. Those poor souls.
@HardWarUK "These man made fires"? you mean the 'man-made' fires that have been flaring up and burning, from before man even evolved? ok then...The Australian bush evolved Pyrophytic trees and need fire to germinate. THis is life in the bush..
Tim's Witan Dumbass
Chama Lineros that anecdote is from the Ash Wednesday fires
That’s fucked. I mean, the boiling point of water is around 100C, these fires are around 1000C.
Poor buggers.
@@Timbo6669 DERP
That day (and following days) was something I will never forget.
The several days of orange skies is something i'll never forget.
Sir, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
the song is also cool
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
I remember the weekend. I was up in echuca watching the southern 80. Hottest day ive ever experienced. Our camp site was over 50 degrees. Saw smoke coming up the river turned on abc radio and by that time Kinglake had already been hit. Many of our mates that were with us knew people from kinglake. Called my family in eltham and they didnt even know there were massive fires until they walked outside to see the smoke. That alone shows how quickly it happend. We had to take the long way home because of the fires i bendigo. Rip to all those who were lost.
Something that I think this documentary captures so well is the utter confusion of the day. I lived on the edge of Broadford near where the Kilmore east fire started and everything happened so quickly. Early on we got a call from a friend out fighting the fires "I've just gone through wandong and they have no idea what's coming. They're on they're rooves in shorts and sandals with a garden hose thinking they can stop what's coming, its a monster"
after what felt like no time the fire was in kinglake like 50-60 km away
Then in the afternoon we had the wind change and all of a sudden the fires moving for us. Fortunately my old man was all over it and we'd been preparing for hours but I remember thinking Kinglake's on fire. How can the same fire be burning Kinglake and threatening Broadford? half the state would have to be on fire.
and then there was Marysville. I don't think I heard about tragedy at Marysville till the Sunday afternoon. The documentary is 100% right. To this day I don't know how no-one knew but the news just never got out.
I did get one little smile watching this though because I remember the first thing I heard of Marysville was that *the whole town was gone, every building. But they saved the pub!*
I have grown up in coastal southern California been here my whole half a century. I do know I've been spoiled with great weather. It does have a few dangerous patches such as the desert where personally I've seen 122 temps and the local mountains where below freezing is possible all winter long. I can't imagine the terror and the horror these families must have faced. With caution and terror they confronted a demon of a fire. May God help the pain of the friends and families of the brave victims of this unbelievable and horrible experience.
Trees exploded from infrared heat...even before the front reached them.
there is no infrared heat its just heat and radiation heat ... thats all not infrared staff... (do you know what is infrared in physics ? sorry for that) idont want to be nerd guy here ..but after googling...infrared is this: Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes referred to simply as infrared,
is a region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths
range from about 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter (mm). Infrared waves are longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of radio waves.... nothing involves heat and is very little.... (again sorry buut we need to be precise)
@@gfanarakos Trees can also explode from extreme cold too
@@somethingsnowing yeap probably as water is frost inside the tree so it expands and the tree collapses
Australian trees are full of oil.
They explode just on a hot day.
Spontaneous combustion.
So on a fire day like this, they just exploded from the intense heat of the fire as these kinds of fire create their own energy and weather, as well as the stuff that starts and initially pushes them as weell
Radiant heat...not IR
the visible anguish in these poor folks eyes......just heart breaking......i hope in the last 10 years they have healed at least a little bit....bless them all!
Again we got big fire its been 7 days its still burning
We collect drinking water from the glaciers on the west coast of nz, south island as pure drinking water. We didn't collect the water until the thick ash from these fires was gone from them, as it could have well contained ash from the victims. We put flowers on the mountain instead. Love, respect and sympathy from Milford sound.
Thanks Anzac bro
Wow. I’m crying
It's been 15years this week as I write this comment since I was on the truck fighting the kinglake fires and it kills Me remembering all this. R.i.p all you beautiful souls ❤
Incredibly moving. Thank you for making this available.
A day i will never forget , Thankyou for remastering this ,
This is completely horrifying. My hearts go out to those brave Aussies who battled this.
Lisa Garza ...Aussies are truly tough, obstinate buggers.
We are still dealing with this.. pray for us.
your small step to prevent fire across glob, If u really feel hurt and pain by such fires in the jungle everywhere, obviously made by human only, must watch and share to all other friends...1st ever song for jungle fire
(MP3 download direct www.djbkb.live)
th-cam.com/video/dSIf8feBRmg/w-d-xo.html
this suddenly popped up on my recommended feed. Not sure why it did. Didn't even really know what black Saturday is, or what it entailed. I thought it was just some 10 minute recap of something that had been given a dark name to make it seem more important than it actually was, like videos and things heavily featured in the news usually are...
Decided to watch it anyway because I was bored... realized it was none of what I had expected it to be.
I knew Australia suffers from bush fires, I have a friend who lives there and she's been telling me about the last ones that have been going on... didn't know about this particular one. Not sure under which rock I've been hiding to miss something as catastrophic as this.
This was probably one of the most down to earth documentaries I've ever seen. While there was some drama added to it by not telling us straight up who had survived and who hadn't, it told the story in a painfully clear way. You can tell how much this has affected the people involved, it wasn't glossed over or scripted, I don't think... It was painful to watch, as I feel something like this should be.
While every single one of the stories hit hard, the story of the grandparents who looked after their grandchildren and the two neighbor girls probably hit me hardest... the plain survivor guilt, and imagining standing helplessly by as the ones in your care are basically dying in front of you... I don't even want to imagine the feeling. I don't think every part of your sanity will survive such an event. I don't think there's anything they could've done, but I doubt that'll ever make it easier on them.
Thanks, youtube, for throwing this onto my feed, it was a very educational watch. And thanks for remastering and uploading this. Even all these years later my heart goes out to all the survivors
Thankyou Mellchiril. These are the fires from a whole decade before the 2019-2020 summer, which were - incredibly - several times larger. The smoke loomed over the cities for a month or two each. It worked its way south from the tropics over 3 months, and through every national park to the snow fields, separate fires but sometimes joining up into a "complex". It wasn't until Valentine's Day 2020 that the last fire was "under control" and soon after that, the crisis control centre was handed over to a Covid task force. We got about a week of okay-times there although I do remember the beaches were filthy from rains and a flood. But gratitude where gratitude's due ... we've avoided around 99% of the Covid deaths per person that other countries had, while the borders were closed in our little paradise until the other week.
2020 and people are still not heeding the warnings "we'll wait and see if it gets bad." Just leave.
The state and local governments didn't heed these warnings, liberals cut funding to the RFS, and the greens blocked fire prevention like fuel like removal, logging, and back burning citing it destroyed habitat and contributed to global warming, now the entire state is on fire devastating habitat and releasing unfathomable amounts of carbon into the air. This is what happens when you get a greedy government cutting funding, and emotional climate change radicals having power, now everyone except the rich suffers and dies.
@@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32 The Greens didn't block anything as they're not in government.
@@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32 The Greens didn't block anything as they're not in government
@@gregorygherkins1884 You need to go back to school and learn how our government works. Every party holds seats, depending on how many votes they got, each party has the ability to vote or vote against legislation.
The greens also have power on the local level in councils and state levels which is primarily where most of the decisions regarding fuel load reduction methods are decided.
The greens and their voters also make up a large proportion of the radical environmentalist groups who also protested and blocked many of these methods.
So you are wrong on all accounts.
@@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32 Salty af. give us some sources for the greens having the balance of power in state and fed levels. Maybe you need to go back to school...