Dear Editor
I am writing to tell you about disaster that happened in south-east Australia The fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire .
With its abundant forests and hot dry climate, Australia had often suffered from deadly bushfires. On Feb. 7, 2009, bushfires swept through the southern state of Victoria, leaving 173 people dead and 500 injured. The scale of the recent fires—attributed to extreme weather conditions coupled with a severe and protracted drought that had created tinder-dry vegetation across the state—was unprecedented and left the country in a state of shock. Weather forecasters warned of a record heat wave with temperatures soaring to 46.4 °C (115.5 °F), combined with gale-force winds of up to 90 km/hr (56 mph).That day more than 47 major fires erupted across the state
A massive rescue effort was undertaken across the state with thousands of volunteers helping to shelter and provide for the survivors and the families of the victims.
Beyond the 173 deaths, 120 of them caused by a single firestorm, the fires destroyed over 2,030 houses and more than 3,500 structures, and damaged thousands more.