Ex-county couple facing bushfires
Thursday 26th February 2009, 2:59PM GMT.
A former Shropshire couple living in the area hit by Australia’s bush fires were bracing themselves for another onslaught from the blazes’ out-of-control flames around their home today.
Megan and Steve Norris have moved out of their home in the Dandenongs, near Melbourne, where fires have been raging for three weeks.
Firefighters have warned that the next 24 hours are critical and could be as bad as “black Saturday” when hundreds lost their lives.
Megan said: “We’ve been told to expect high northerly winds, which are hot and dangerous, and very high temperatures peaking 39 to 40 degrees.
“With seven huge out-of-control fires burning in various parts of the state, two of the biggest closest to us, we really have been warned of a horror day.”
The family, who moved to Australia from Shrewsbury, were given half an hour to leave their home on Monday and have returned briefly.
“We could see the fire fighting planes bombing the fire which was spreading down one side of the mountain,” she added.
“We had a dreadful moment when our friend’s son got left behind from the school bus.
“My friend was frantic as her husband headed off to try to find him knowing that the roads were closed off.”
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