SHE.HER.

Hell On Earth

View of Yering Station & Chateau Yering, Victoria.

En route to Melbourne two Saturdays ago, a young Iranian passenger nudged me in the elbow and pointed at something from afar. A wisp of white smoke, I noted as we peered out of the aircraft window. We've heard of sporadic bushfires in hot, dry Victoria recently, so we simply thought, "Must be another one of those fires."

A bushfire burns in the Bunyip State Forest near the township of Tonimbuk. Picture: AAP/Andrew Brownbill

Little did we know then of Mother Nature's fury. Fires raged throughout that night in numerous "hotspots", sweeping across counties at terrifying speed.

Cliche as it may sound to many, I still believe that a picture paints a thousand words. As such, I'd like to share a number of photographs taken by Herald Sun's photographers, which captured the essence of what is now known as Black Saturday in Australian history: the devastation that literally brought townships down to ashes and blackened rubble, the lives lost, the people who fought the fires relentlessly, the survivors, volunteers who graciously helped the bushfire victims, and the resilience of so many Victorian communities in the aftermath.

A smoke cloud approaches Labertouche, near Pakenham, east of Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

King Lake and surrounds from Everton Stud Eden Park. Picture: Chris Sheffield

Brian Kelly fights the fires overnight with his family and friends to save his Kilmore East property. Picture: Nicole Garmston

CFA fire fighter from the Gapsted crew moves into position fighting a scrub fire on property off Blacks Flat Road near Beechworth. Picture: David Caird

CFA firefighters prepare for another day at the fires. Picture: Norm Oorloff

The last I've heard, they managed to contain over 115 Victorian bushfires in a span of two weeks. Four large fires are currently still out of control due to strong, erratic winds and inaccessible terrains.

Meltdown - the intensity of the fires must have been unimaginable. Picture:Craig Borrow

The devastated township of Kinglake. Picture: Mark Smith/ Courtesy of Channel 10 helicopter

No more than blackened matchsticks - An aerial shot of burnt trees. Picture: Mark Smith

Firefighters from South Australia rest in a school bus shelter after battling the fires at Callignee. Picture: Peter Ward

At the Whittlesea relief centre - Andrew Barber and his nephew Deakin Criggie, 15 months old, have lost their house in Pheasant Creek. Andrew, 18, fought the fires all yesterday and dropped by the relief centre for a break and some love. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

Peter and Wendy Crooks used almost 40 cans of cola to put out fires in the eaves after their pump failed. They saved their Kinglake home. Picture: Trevor Pinder.

Jason Lynn, a neighbour of deceased newsman Brian Naylor, survived by lying in mud when fires surrounded his property at Kinglake. A minister gave him last rites on a mobile phone minutes before a CFA member found him, semi-conscious and only just breathing. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

Aaron Robertson from the Kinglake CFA stands in the ruins of his house. He was down in St Andrews fighting fires when Kinglake was hit. He and the crew that he was with saved a number of houses in St Andrews. Picture: Jon Hargest

CFA volunteer David Tree helps a distressed koala in burnt-out forest at Mirboo North. Pic: Russell Vickery

Ruth Lynn, who lost everything at Pheasant Creek, had to leave her dogs when she escaped. She later discovered her dog Bruno burnt and on a drip but alive at the animal shelter. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

Helen Clover (right) and Claire Ellt are neighbours from Kinglake West who believed each other to be dead. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

Forensic investigators comb through a building in Marysville in search of victims. Picture: Mark Smith/ courtesy of Channel 10 helicopter.

Michael Walsh (front) is told by his father Dan that his mother Marie died in fire at the Cumberland Spa Resort in Marysville. Picture: Norm Oorloff

The death toll has now jumped from 201 to 209, with the five worst hit towns being: Marysville, Strathewen, King Lake, St. Andrews and Steels Creek.

People affected by the bushfires slept in their cars and the community centre of Healesville. Picture: Craig Borrow

People check and add details on the community notice board at the Whittlesea relief centre. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

The Kinglake Harvest Cafe has been transformed into a supply depot to furnish locals with all the supplies they need. Picture: Bruce Long

Grace Wilson, the daughter of John and Sue Wilson who died in their house at Mudgegonga, holds a garden sunflower she salvaged from the house. Picture: Renee Nowytarger.

A flora tribute at a destroyed home in Pheasant Creek, where a mother and her three children perished. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

Rosa Chahaine is finally reunited with her 74-year-old father Cocerale Chahaine who stayed in Kinglake West alone to save his house. He lost all but a handful of his stock and has lived on eggs from his two chooks and beer for the past three days before he was able to get out to get supplies and to hug his daughter. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

A sign of hope and determination hangs on the fence outside a Pheasant Creek home. Picture: Fiona Hamilton

To the people whose lives have been afflicted by the bushfire tragedy - no words could describe what you've endured in the past two weeks, nor could they ever take your pain and loss away. My heartfelt condolences to all.

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Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low