by Kellie Webster

Created on: February 14, 2009

It was the end of an extremely hot week in Melbourne
Australia
and the start of an even hotter week-end.
Temperatures had not been under 40C (104F) for seven days straight, and for the start of the week-end they were predicting 43C (109.4F) with strong southerly winds. It was going to be a scorcher no matter where you found yourself.
I was planning on going horse riding at 10am at a Ranch in Rubicon which was 2 hours from my home. On hearing the latest weather conditions I called the Ranch to be told riding was cancelled for the day. I considered going up anyway to capture some photos of the beautiful countryside out there in rural Melbourne, but a friend caught my attention for an hour. After which time I decided to give the long drive a miss.

Instead I headed for the local shopping centre, air conditioned - albeit at half power due to our power stations struggling with the relentless heat. Nevertheless it was cooler and I got all I had to do complete before heading back home. I'd had an early night after a friend of mine cancelled our Friday night plans due to duties in the field. He was a fire fighter who'd been out at the Bunyip
State Park all week, and with the extreme conditions he didn't finish until 10pm and was due on deck again by 7am. I thought about him as I drove home. The sun was merciless and the winds extreme.

The 4pm news reported the temperature had hit 46C (114.8F) and a number of serious fires had sparked around the state. I thought of my friend and wondered how he was coping. I was also in awe of the temperature; I'd never experienced it so hot before.
So I decided to go across to the lake near my home with my camera. The sky was starting to fill with smoke and the winds were thrashing the trees around.

The moment I stepped outside I could feel the pores of my skin perspiring, my throat became dry and my lungs shortened with each breath. The tree branches were being thrown around and some of the trunks creaked as they resisted the force of the winds.

I walked around and took photos of the smoke filled skies. The fires were at least 40 minutes from my home but the eeriness of the sky and the ferocity of the winds made it feel like they were much closer.
I stood in the heat imagining what my friend was experiencing. I was not near the fires, he was. I wore shorts and a t-shirt he wore full neck to toe protective gear, and a helmet. I stood and thought about how much more uncomfortable he would be feeling right now.

The heat became too much for me and

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