2009 Victorian bushfires
The second fire destroyed the town of Marysville, Victoria. It started north of Marysville, and at first people thought it would go around the town, but within minutes the town was an inferno. At about 5.00pm, electric power was lost, and the wind stopped. Minutes later the wind came back from a different direction, bringing the fire up the valley with it. Damage to the water treatment plant at Marysville made the water unsafe to drink. On February 11, it was said that 100 people of the town's population of 500 were believed to have died, and that only a few buildings were left. Premier Brumby said: "There's no activity, there's no people, there's no buildings, there's no birds, there's no animals, everything's just gone." These numbers were later revised, but 40 people did die, and nearly every building in the town was damaged or destroyed.