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CNN Sunday Morning

Wildfires Destroy Almost 400 Canberra Homes

Aired January 19, 2003 - 07:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Today, many people began sifting through the charred remains of their homes in suburbs surrounding Canberra. Some lost everything and now they are trying to figure out where to go from here.
Nina Stevens has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA STEVENS, NATIONAL 9 NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arriving back to the place that was once home, this woman could not control her despair. There was nothing to salvage and she certainly was not alone. It seemed if nothing else, the residents have Duffy at least had each other.

Her neighbor, Kathy Ellis, couldn't stop shaking as she looked at the ruins.

KATHY ELLIS: God was cruel to us last night. Fifty-three years of memories. They're -- I'll never replace.

STEVENS: She relived her terrifying escape from the fire front. Like everyone else here, she had no time to pack.

ELLIS: We just got out. We had to drive through the fire. The trees were on fire. And I got a family out. And I got the clothes out, and we had to lock our car doors because people were trying to get into our car. And we had to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we had no room.

STEVENS: The two women were so traumatized, they were treated by ambulance officers. In this one street, 11 homes were destroyed. Just four remain. All living in Housing Commission homes, these people didn't have much to begin with. all that is left are a couple of money tins and most don't have insurance.

GREG WOOD, DUFFY RESIDENT: It's just like a bum's life, like something you (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's indescribable.

STEVENS: And it was a story repeated all around Duffy. Backing onto a pine plantation, this was a suburb worst hit by the fires. These sisters arrived home before their parents to view the damage.

Sixteen years old, and everything she owned is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what to say. STEVENS (on camera): Almost every single street in Duffy has lost homes. And right now, it seems almost impossible to imagine just how long it will take to rebuild this one suburb. The uncertainty of the future only adding to the anguish felt by its residents.

LESTER SOUTHWELL, DUFFY RESIDENT: Australia was a good country, but it's a hard country.

STEVENS (voice-over): Lester Southwell has lived here with wife, Jenny, for 30 years. Two years ago, bush fires came close, but this time, they were overcome.

SOUTHWELL: It (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and everything's gone. Just distressing.

STEVENS: But already, they are planning to start over. The Frizzel family managed to save their home, but it was a tough fight.

RACHEL FRIZZEL, DUFFY RESIDENT: I mean we go out, there was fire all around us. So we hid underneath the house.

STEVENS: Family members took turns to keep watch around the clock, sleeping on mattresses outside. As her neighbors home went up, this woman sought shelter in her spa.

CHRISTINE HAGAN, DUFFY RESIDENT: Everything was collapsing around me. And I jumped into the spa, which I filled with water, and thought, well, I'd rather drown than burn.

STEVENS: Another hazard, the power lines brought down across main access road. And even hours after the fire went through, for some, the remnants of smoke was still choking. Cleaning up in Duffy will be left for another day. For now, it's hard enough for many just taking it all in.

Nina Stevens, National 9 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 19, 2003 - 07:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Today, many people began sifting through the charred remains of their homes in suburbs surrounding Canberra. Some lost everything and now they are trying to figure out where to go from here.
Nina Stevens has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA STEVENS, NATIONAL 9 NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arriving back to the place that was once home, this woman could not control her despair. There was nothing to salvage and she certainly was not alone. It seemed if nothing else, the residents have Duffy at least had each other.

Her neighbor, Kathy Ellis, couldn't stop shaking as she looked at the ruins.

KATHY ELLIS: God was cruel to us last night. Fifty-three years of memories. They're -- I'll never replace.

STEVENS: She relived her terrifying escape from the fire front. Like everyone else here, she had no time to pack.

ELLIS: We just got out. We had to drive through the fire. The trees were on fire. And I got a family out. And I got the clothes out, and we had to lock our car doors because people were trying to get into our car. And we had to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we had no room.

STEVENS: The two women were so traumatized, they were treated by ambulance officers. In this one street, 11 homes were destroyed. Just four remain. All living in Housing Commission homes, these people didn't have much to begin with. all that is left are a couple of money tins and most don't have insurance.

GREG WOOD, DUFFY RESIDENT: It's just like a bum's life, like something you (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's indescribable.

STEVENS: And it was a story repeated all around Duffy. Backing onto a pine plantation, this was a suburb worst hit by the fires. These sisters arrived home before their parents to view the damage.

Sixteen years old, and everything she owned is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what to say. STEVENS (on camera): Almost every single street in Duffy has lost homes. And right now, it seems almost impossible to imagine just how long it will take to rebuild this one suburb. The uncertainty of the future only adding to the anguish felt by its residents.

LESTER SOUTHWELL, DUFFY RESIDENT: Australia was a good country, but it's a hard country.

STEVENS (voice-over): Lester Southwell has lived here with wife, Jenny, for 30 years. Two years ago, bush fires came close, but this time, they were overcome.

SOUTHWELL: It (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and everything's gone. Just distressing.

STEVENS: But already, they are planning to start over. The Frizzel family managed to save their home, but it was a tough fight.

RACHEL FRIZZEL, DUFFY RESIDENT: I mean we go out, there was fire all around us. So we hid underneath the house.

STEVENS: Family members took turns to keep watch around the clock, sleeping on mattresses outside. As her neighbors home went up, this woman sought shelter in her spa.

CHRISTINE HAGAN, DUFFY RESIDENT: Everything was collapsing around me. And I jumped into the spa, which I filled with water, and thought, well, I'd rather drown than burn.

STEVENS: Another hazard, the power lines brought down across main access road. And even hours after the fire went through, for some, the remnants of smoke was still choking. Cleaning up in Duffy will be left for another day. For now, it's hard enough for many just taking it all in.

Nina Stevens, National 9 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com