World Socialist Web Site reporters visited Whittlesea, just north of Melbourne on February 14, to speak with survivors of massive bushfires that swept through Victorian towns and settlements on February 7. Since then the death toll has continued to rise and a number of fires are still burning out of control. As of today, 210 people have been confirmed dead and more than 2,000 homes incinerated.

For more WSWS reporting of the Victorian bushfires see:

Australia: Few attend Rudd's much-hyped "National Day of Mourning"
[25 February 2009]

Australian bushfires: the tragic outcome of government neglect
[13 February 2009]

Evidence mounts of lack of planning prior to Australia's worst bushfire
[11 February 2009]