As deadly bushfires continue to devastate the Australian countryside, a Marton ex-pat living in Victoria says no one in the state is unaffected by the tragedy. As of last night, 131 people had been confirmed dead in the Australia's worst ever natural disaster. Lisa Hamblyn, who has lived in Australia for 12years and owns the Just Kiwi New Zealand grocery store in Werribee, east of Melbourne, was anxiously waiting to hear back from two friends who were visiting the affected area over the weekend. "I've just been on the phone the whole time but haven't been able to get hold of them. "They were due back [today] so hopefully they're ok." Everyone in the state knew someone affected by the fires, she said. "Everybody's had someone who's been touched by it, whether you're Australian or Kiwi." "It affects everybody." More than 750 homes have been destroyed by dozens of fires, and with more than 330,000 hectares of land burnt by at least 70 separate fires. Things sparked out of control on Saturday, when hot temperatures and high winds combined to ignite fires across the state. Victoria authorities believe several of the fires were deliberately lit. Mrs Hamblyn said the scale of devastation was indescribable. "It's devastating to watch people lose everything but, on the other hand, it's a sense of relief because you're not enduring it yourself and a bit of apprehension about what might happen." "You've got to see this country to believe it." Several smaller fires had been burning near where she lived, with the closest about 75km away. "But it moves so fast it's enough to give you a bit of a fright." Sweltering temperatures were also causing problems, with South Victoria reaching 48 degrees over the weekend. "It was intense. Your eyeballs felt like they were burning and the sky was red," Mrs Hamblyn said. "It was hazy. It was like walking into a furnace. You could smell the smoke all around." The Australian government has accepted an offer of 100 New Zealand firefighters to help tackle the blazes, but local fire chief Kevin Smith said it was too early to tell if local firefighters would be among the relief team. The team would be made up of rural firefighters with specialist training, he said.
