SYDNEY – A grandfather has been credited with saving his wife’s life and the lives of his five grandchildren by having the smarts to hide them under a river walk.
NDJ World | Published: Jan 09 2013 Australia→World News
Intense wildfires are ravaging Australia because of record breaking scorching heat. The state of Tasmania has been hardest hit with entire towns engulfed in flames.
Grandma Holmes and five grand kids holding on for dear life. Photo Credit: Photo News
The town of Dunalley was covered in thick smoke and flames were shooting out of the ground. Tim Holmes knew that the only way out of this inferno alive would be to get to into the water.
Quickly he instructed his wife to take their five grandchildren and run to the jetty nearby, jump in the water and stay there. For 3 hours Tim and his family stuck to the catwalk before they could escape.
It’s a good thing Holmes did what he did, his home and everything in it burned down to a pile of ash during the bush fire.
“When we jumped in the water actually felt cool and refreshing,” said Tim’s wife. “But when the fire raged over us, we could feel the water heating up too.”
“We could see tornadoes of fire come our way,” Tim said. “The jetty was our only hope.”
Insert shows how close the fire got to the Holmes family, whose only chance of survival was hiding under the pier. Photo Credit: Photo News
“We struggled to hold on. There was intense thick smoke and very little oxygen. Breathing was difficult. We had to keep our chins just below the water surface to breathe,” Tim recalls.
3 hours into their ordeal, Tim spotted a little boat he used to take his family to a safe spot.
The children were with grandma and grandpa for the day. Their mother was attending a funeral. Looking out her car’s window, she recalls seeing flames shooting up behind her vehicle and watched firemen close down the road.
“I was preparing myself to the loss of my kids and my parents,” the mother later said on national TV.
In Tasmania fires have been raging endlessly for more than one week. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and thousands of acres have been chard.
Police hope there are no human casualties but continue to search the piles of ashes; the only left reminding them there was once a community.
Weather forecasts in Australia predict more heat. A new color code – purple – had to be added to the weather chart to reflect the enormous hot temperatures soaring into the 129 to 135 degrees in some place.
|
« Arabic Man (90) Marries Girl (15)
Commuter Ferry Crash Injures 57 In New York » |
Other Top Searches: > bush fires - extreme weather - grandfather saves kids - raging infernos - soaring temperatures - Tasmania on fire - tornado fires - wild fires
Spread the word:Discuss this:
More Of Your Picks:
Colombian Rebels Kill government Official
BOGOTA – Four people were killed when they were ambushed by Colombia’s FARC organization, according to police. The four individuals were killed when their vehicle drove into a trap
Freeway Bridge Collapses In Washington State
MOUNT VERNON – An freeway bridge collapsed Thursday evening in Mount Vernon, Washington State, dropping cars into the banks below. The bridge is part of the Interstate 5 freeway
Huge Tornado In Russia Kills 22 And Destroys Much Property
MOSCOW – Not only the US is experiencing extreme weather and suffering the devastating consequences of a super storm. In Russia a super storm killed at least 22 people
UPDATE: A&M University Shooting: Two Killed
Tiger Woods Is No 1 Golfer In The World Once Again
FLAME: The World Scariest Computer Virus
Windows 8 Is Ready, Are You?