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| Marysville fire victims go home | Marysville fire victims go home |
| (4 days later) | |
| Six weeks after fires devastated parts of southern Australia, residents of one of the worst-affected towns have finally been allowed to go home. | Six weeks after fires devastated parts of southern Australia, residents of one of the worst-affected towns have finally been allowed to go home. |
| Marysville was almost completely destroyed by bushfires on 7 February. | Marysville was almost completely destroyed by bushfires on 7 February. |
| It has been sealed off ever since by the police, who have been searching for the remains of victims and investigating suspicions of arson. | It has been sealed off ever since by the police, who have been searching for the remains of victims and investigating suspicions of arson. |
| Bushfires ripped through south-eastern Australia early this year, killing more than 200 people. | Bushfires ripped through south-eastern Australia early this year, killing more than 200 people. |
| Forty-five people died when fires tore through Marysville, north-east of the Victorian state capital, Melbourne. | Forty-five people died when fires tore through Marysville, north-east of the Victorian state capital, Melbourne. |
| The destruction of the picturesque town became a symbol of the bushfire disaster, the worst in Australia's recent history. | The destruction of the picturesque town became a symbol of the bushfire disaster, the worst in Australia's recent history. |
| Search for clues | Search for clues |
| For six weeks Marysville has been sealed off as investigators searched for signs of arson and more victims among the charred wreckage of homes, businesses and cars. | For six weeks Marysville has been sealed off as investigators searched for signs of arson and more victims among the charred wreckage of homes, businesses and cars. |
| Victoria's Deputy Police Commissioner Kieran Walshe says the forensic work in Marysville is over. | Victoria's Deputy Police Commissioner Kieran Walshe says the forensic work in Marysville is over. |
| It was a terrible shock to realise that everything we owned was in that small pile of rubble Reverend Norman Hart | It was a terrible shock to realise that everything we owned was in that small pile of rubble Reverend Norman Hart |
| "It's in excess of 4,000 buildings and structures that we've searched in the last couple of weeks, so it's been a massive exercise to get that done," he said. | "It's in excess of 4,000 buildings and structures that we've searched in the last couple of weeks, so it's been a massive exercise to get that done," he said. |
| "We're comfortable now that we've located and recovered all human remains," he added. | "We're comfortable now that we've located and recovered all human remains," he added. |
| The Reverend Norman Hart is the local parish priest in Marysville. He was made homeless in the fires, along with his wife and two children. | The Reverend Norman Hart is the local parish priest in Marysville. He was made homeless in the fires, along with his wife and two children. |
| "It was a terrible shock to realise that everything we owned was in that small pile of rubble - a lifetime reduced to a pile of rubble," he told the BBC. | "It was a terrible shock to realise that everything we owned was in that small pile of rubble - a lifetime reduced to a pile of rubble," he told the BBC. |
| "People are pulling together. There's an amazing sense of 'we will go on and we will rebuild'. There's a sense of hope for the future." | "People are pulling together. There's an amazing sense of 'we will go on and we will rebuild'. There's a sense of hope for the future." |
| He said it did not really matter whether the fires were arson or not - the devastation is real, he says, adding that the community is ready to move on. | He said it did not really matter whether the fires were arson or not - the devastation is real, he says, adding that the community is ready to move on. |
| Marysville resident Merrin Guest has been sifting through what remains of her home. | Marysville resident Merrin Guest has been sifting through what remains of her home. |
| "It's just corrugated metal from the roof and a few chimneys and that's all that was left of our place when we went in. It was completely flattened," she said. | "It's just corrugated metal from the roof and a few chimneys and that's all that was left of our place when we went in. It was completely flattened," she said. |
| "I just had this huge sense of, 'Oh, thank goodness we can now start to move forward'," she said. | "I just had this huge sense of, 'Oh, thank goodness we can now start to move forward'," she said. |
| A judicial inquiry is examining the causes of the deadly fire outbreaks and the responses of the emergency services. | A judicial inquiry is examining the causes of the deadly fire outbreaks and the responses of the emergency services. |