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Australia probes Victoria fires Australia probes Victoria fires
(about 2 hours later)
A public inquiry has opened in Australia to look into the bush fires in Victoria state in February - the worst in the country's history.A public inquiry has opened in Australia to look into the bush fires in Victoria state in February - the worst in the country's history.
The Royal Commission is considering the official response, and whether warning systems in place were adequate.The Royal Commission is considering the official response, and whether warning systems in place were adequate.
The panel will also look at a controversial plan to change the law to force people to leave their homes when bush fires approach. The panel will also look at a controversial plan to change the law to force people to leave their homes when bushfires approach.
More than 170 people were killed and 2,000 homes destroyed by the blazes. More than 170 people died in what is called the Black Saturday bushfires.
The first witness to give evidence at Monday's hearing in Melbourne is Victoria's chief fire officer, Russell Rees. Some 2,000 homes were destroyed by the blazes.
Commission members were expected to ask him when warnings were issued to endangered communities. Fire sirens
The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says the flames moved at such a frightening speed that the warnings broadcast over local radio stations came after the flames had passed through. A two-minute silence for the victims of the fires was held before the Black Saturday Royal Commission in Melbourne got under way.
Unaware of the intensity of the fires, residents could not make an informed decision about whether to flee or stay to protect their homes. Then the inquiry turned its attention to the question of whether people had been given adequate warnings about the speed and intensity of the blazes.
It has already emerged from a preliminary hearing that the alert system could not keep pace with the speed of the fires, the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says.
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Aerial footage of fire devastation in February
The inquiry was told that a fire danger index measuring the risk of bushfires was 328 - anything over 50 is considered extreme.
The first witness, Victoria's chief fire officer Russell Rees, explained that this information was not communicated to the public because it was thought too complicated.
"Only in the sense that to understand the figures... you need to understand what they mean, so there needs to be an education process," he said.
The terms "low", "moderate" and "extreme" risk were used instead.
Mr Rees also said fire sirens were not used to alert residents, because they are "not a warning mechanism for the public".
One area the commission will focus on is whether to bring in mandatory evacuations similar to those in other fire-prone countries.One area the commission will focus on is whether to bring in mandatory evacuations similar to those in other fire-prone countries.
But the proposed change would meet fierce opposition in bushland communities, our correspondent says.But the proposed change would meet fierce opposition in bushland communities, our correspondent says.
The hearing continues.