Currently the death toll is 19 and dozens are missing. The Black Saturday bushfires were a major learning experience though as you’ll notice authorities have be

Currently the death toll is 19 and dozens are missing. The Black Saturday bushfires were a major learning experience though as you’ll notice authorities have been emphatic that people need to leave immediately. In terms of sheer destructiveness, the fires have not stopped yet and don’t look to be abating. There are over 500 homes lost. The area burnt and length of time the fires have been burning has never been matched. So it’s hardly a lie to say what I said. I live in Sydney and have family and friends who have been in fire zones. Calling this political and a “lie” is insensitive and shows you really don’t know what you are talking about. I am well aware of the Black Saturday fires as I lost a friend Bian Tan in those fires. This time round I hope authorities and people more effectively learn how to save lives and homes. I think a number of factors will help us reduce casualties, but that doesn’t mean this won’t be the most destructive fires in Australian history, just in sheer length of time and area burned.