Australia is dealing with the worst wildfires that the subcontinent has ever seen.

The title of this CNN article is "Police: Australian wildfires create 'a holocaust'. People in the state of Victoria are still running for their lives.

The first sentence of this article is "Australia's raging wildfires have killed at least 130 people, decimating massive spans of land and leaving thousands of residents homeless, creating a situation, officials say, (that) they've never experienced".

According to Phil Shepherd, an inspector with the Victoria State Police, "We had an impact all over the state", with entire cities having been "completely wiped out".

Speaking to Australian TV, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said that " I think it's important that the nation braces itself for more bad news...this is a little horror few of us anticipated". This is a severe understatement. How many of us can predict arson? Or expect it?

According to Michelle Achison, who lives in a suburb of Victoria, "It's an absolute feeling of hopelessness. There are communities that are completely flattened. There's nothing at all. And each and every one of us knows someone who will lose everything". This takes us back to various terrorist attacks and murders such as 9/11/01 and massacres at Columbine and Virginia Tech in the sense that every survivor knows someone who has lost someone close to them.

According to Dr. John Coleridge, a physician at Victoria's Alfred Hospital, "I've heard of sad stories of flames going over cars and maybe one person surviving. I suspect today they will find lots of cars with people who haven't survived".

Rudd continued: "Hell in all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours". For the lucky survivors, this is a living hell. For families who have lost loved ones and their homes, there are no words to describe their anguish, pain and anger.

Australia's ceremonial head of state, England's Queen Elizabeth II also sent her condolences to Australia in a statement: "I was shocked and saddened to learn of the terrible toll exacted by the fires this weekend. I send my heartfelt condolensces to the families of all those who have died and my deep sympathy to those who have lost their homes in this disaster". However, for those who have lost their homes and/or family members, at this time, no words can provide relief from the emotional strain of losing people close to them.

An unidentified woman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that "All I got now is what I'm standing in and a bag. My house. My house of 25 years is gone. I worked so hard for that house" before breaking down in tears. It is clear that she was distraught.

According to Victoria's Prime Minister John Brumby, "Those were an intense few hours for me. I was too far away to get there, four hours away. Dad's in his eighties, mom a bit younger. But we couldn't get them on the mobile (phone) (and) we couldn't get them at home. No one knew where they were". Considering that Brumby has elderly parents and considering the scope of this disaster, he is most likely hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. And most likely, he will get the worst possible news.

According to a statement by senior constable Wayne Wilson, "Police appreciate that people want to help the victims of the fire, but "The number of people bringing items to the centers is causing difficulties in the operation of these centers".

According to Ethan Alexander, a Melbourne photographer who was in the vicinity, "You look up at the sky and there's this orange glow. It's eerie". Alexander isn't the only person who is afraid in Australia today.

Achison added that "Last night, there was a grass fire on one of the properties. And within minutes, six homes in a row were burned to the ground. There weren't any people who were preparing to evacuate because they believed (that) they weren't in any danger". Considering that these are the worst wildfires that Australia has ever seen, people who don't/refuse to evacuate (as inconceivable as this seems) are asking for trouble. However there are people who are willing to live on the edge to perform stunts and daredevil tricks and for some of these folks, this could include staying in the middle of an inferno.

Other than the last group that Achison described, people's despair and anger over what happened is clear for all to see. After all, most of these folks have lost everything. And all indications are that at least some of these fires were deliberately set (i.e. arson). As far as that "Holocaust" comparison is concerned, thank goodness it wasn't that bad because most people obeyed frantic evacuation orders as far as casualties are concerned, but in other ways, this was worse because in the Holocaust, at least one group of people, the 'Aryan' caucasians, were spared. In this arson, it seemed as if everybody in the state of Victoria was a target, regardless of their race.