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[Music]
00:02:14
our episodes deal with serious and often
00:02:17
distressing incidents if you feel at
00:02:19
anytime you need support please contact
00:02:21
your local crisis center for suggested
00:02:24
phone numbers for confidential support
00:02:25
please see the show notes for this
00:02:27
episode on your app or on our website
00:02:31
[Music]
00:02:35
in late January 2009 southeastern
00:02:39
Australia was impacted by a blistering
00:02:42
heat wave considered to be one of the
00:02:44
most if not the most extreme in the
00:02:46
region's history
00:02:48
it caused prolonged record-breaking
00:02:51
temperatures that reached nearly 50
00:02:53
degrees Celsius in some locations
00:02:56
in the state of Victoria this extreme
00:02:59
heat caused the power outages that
00:03:02
resulted in the termination of public
00:03:04
transport services banned traffic light
00:03:06
failures large public venues in the city
00:03:10
of Melbourne were evacuated and to the
00:03:12
annual Australian Open tennis tournament
00:03:14
was also impacted with several outdoor
00:03:17
matches cancelled American tennis
00:03:20
champions Serena Williams remarked that
00:03:23
it was so hot on court that she felt she
00:03:25
was having an out-of-body experience
00:03:28
people were stranded inside lifts that
00:03:31
had ceased operating wooden power poles
00:03:34
were witnessed self-igniting and to bush
00:03:37
fires blazed across the state thousands
00:03:40
of citizens required medical treatment
00:03:42
resulting in a 70% increase in emergency
00:03:46
calls to ambulance Victoria
00:03:48
while the death braid increased by 45%
00:03:53
by the following month of February the
00:03:56
heatwave had cost to the Victorian
00:03:58
economy an estimated 100 million dollars
00:04:01
on Friday February 6 state premier John
00:04:06
Brumby cautioned the Victorians about
00:04:08
the extreme weather conditions forecast
00:04:10
for the next day announcing that
00:04:13
Saturday February 7 2009 would be the
00:04:18
worst day in the history of the state
00:04:21
temperatures will once again set to soar
00:04:24
above the mid 40s and a gale force wind
00:04:27
was predicted a decade-long drought had
00:04:31
left the much of the Australian
00:04:32
landscape incredibly dry and Victoria
00:04:35
alone had missed the equivalent of two
00:04:38
years worth of average rainfall premier
00:04:42
Brumby encouraged people to cancel plans
00:04:45
avoid traveling and stay at home warning
00:04:49
it's just as bad a day as you can
00:04:51
imagine and on top of that the state is
00:04:55
just tinder-dry people need to exercise
00:04:58
real common sense tomorrow
00:05:02
Victoria had a long disastrous history
00:05:05
of wildfires and to the weather
00:05:07
conditions were predicted to be worse
00:05:09
than those that preceded the devastating
00:05:12
Ash Wednesday and Black Friday bush
00:05:14
fires in 1983 and to 1939 respectively
00:05:19
the macarthur forest fire danger index
00:05:22
which combined climate data such as
00:05:24
temperature wind speed and humidity
00:05:27
anticipated a result for february 7 2009
00:05:31
that exceeded the algorithms highest
00:05:33
category of extreme thus a new category
00:05:37
was created titled catastrophic a total
00:05:42
fire ban was declared and hundreds of
00:05:45
firefighting personnel were deployed
00:05:47
statewide as anticipated the weather on
00:05:52
february 7 was sweltering with many new
00:05:55
all-time maximum reached melbourne
00:05:59
recorded its hottest ever temperature at
00:06:02
forty six point six degrees Celsius
00:06:05
throughout victoria bush fires ignited
00:06:08
fanned by high winds that blanketed the
00:06:11
state in thick smoke as their intensity
00:06:16
grew Australia's national broadcaster
00:06:18
the ABC abandoned had scheduled
00:06:21
programming to report solely on the
00:06:23
hazardous situation
00:06:26
meanwhile residents in rural and
00:06:29
regional fire prone areas debated
00:06:31
whether they should stay in to defend
00:06:33
their homes or evacuate and to risk
00:06:36
losing everything
00:06:45
[Music]
00:06:56
[Music]
00:07:04
located in the rural region of Gippsland
00:07:06
in Victoria's East is the Latrobe Valley
00:07:09
an inland district with three major
00:07:13
urban areas
00:07:14
Maui more well and Turalyon and six
00:07:17
smaller townships including Churchill
00:07:21
formerly known as Hazelwood Churchill
00:07:24
was purposed built to accommodate
00:07:25
workers involved in the construction and
00:07:28
maintenance of the Hazelwood Power
00:07:29
Station in 1965 the town was renamed in
00:07:35
posthumous honor of former British Prime
00:07:37
Minister Sir Winston Churchill and grew
00:07:40
into a commuter suburb for those working
00:07:42
in neighboring areas located 160
00:07:47
kilometers southeast of Melbourne
00:07:48
Churchill fetches a commercial centre
00:07:51
for it's several thousand locals with
00:07:53
white parkland separating residential
00:07:56
areas from industrial estates dense tree
00:08:00
plantations a national park and acreages
00:08:03
of farmland frame the township which is
00:08:06
home to the scenic Lake Highland and a
00:08:08
golden tower known locally as the beech
00:08:11
cigar after Winston Churchill's
00:08:13
trademark smoking habit at 1:32 p.m. on
00:08:19
Saturday February 7 2009 triple-zero
00:08:23
emergency services received a call
00:08:25
regarding a wildfire just outside
00:08:28
Churchill the blaze was four kilometres
00:08:32
southeast of town near the intersection
00:08:34
of Glen Donald Road and jealous outlet
00:08:37
two unsealed stretches of winding
00:08:40
roadway that cut through the rural
00:08:42
outskirts it had emerged from the bottom
00:08:46
of a natural Basin the Bennett's Creek
00:08:48
catchment which consisted of Blue Gum
00:08:50
eucalypt and pine plantations surrounded
00:08:54
by hazardous surface fuels such as
00:08:56
shrubs wire grass and blackberry bushes
00:09:01
three minutes after the call a pilot
00:09:04
flying a firefighting aircraft ten
00:09:06
kilometres from Churchill sighted a
00:09:08
column of dark smoke hundreds of feet
00:09:11
high rising from the fire's location
00:09:14
within 10 minutes the flames had
00:09:17
traveled roughly one kilometer and were
00:09:19
in the vicinity of forests managed by
00:09:22
timber company Hancock Victorian
00:09:24
plantations the plantations surveillance
00:09:28
planes which were overseeing the
00:09:30
entirety of the Latrobe Valley that day
00:09:33
were diverted to Churchill to carry out
00:09:35
reconnaissance work despite being in its
00:09:39
early stages the fire's behavior was
00:09:42
noted as extreme by the time first
00:09:45
responders arrived the blaze had spread
00:09:48
rapidly and was burning on both sides of
00:09:51
jelous outlet spot fires began igniting
00:09:56
around it
00:09:56
straining resources and impacting
00:09:59
efforts to tackle the central Inferno
00:10:01
directly requests were made for more
00:10:05
tankers and air support
00:10:06
however the intense heat was causing
00:10:09
water to evaporate before it even hit
00:10:12
the ground the focus then shifted to
00:10:16
warning surrounding communities of the
00:10:18
urgent threat roadblocks were
00:10:20
established around the fire as emergency
00:10:23
services personnel visited nearby
00:10:25
residences to raise the alarm
00:10:28
but 2:00 p.m. the fire had been raging
00:10:31
for almost half an hour and remained out
00:10:34
of control despite the arrival of
00:10:36
additional firefighting crews it
00:10:40
continued to move in a southeasterly
00:10:42
direction through the broad valley of
00:10:45
Bennett's Creek air crew observed - the
00:10:49
fire cresting the ridge along jira Lange
00:10:51
North Road and by the 50 minute mark it
00:10:54
had travelled about seven kilometres
00:10:58
more spot fires were reported and by
00:11:01
3:00 p.m. the blaze had burnt through a
00:11:03
planned plantation and too damaged to
00:11:05
communications tower efforts to protect
00:11:10
assets continued as emergency relief
00:11:13
centers were established in nearby
00:11:15
townships at 3:20 p.m. the fire had
00:11:19
destroyed its first homestead at the
00:11:21
intersection of Thompson and to JIRA
00:11:23
Lane North roads by 5:15 p.m. it was
00:11:28
approaching the slopes of Mount Ozzie
00:11:30
ten kilometers due south east of
00:11:32
Churchill and spotting to the mountains
00:11:35
east side as emergency crews tackled the
00:11:40
surrounding spot fires the apex of the
00:11:43
inferno raged on woods
00:11:50
earlier that day Australia's Bureau of
00:11:54
Meteorology had predicted a severe wind
00:11:56
change that would hit its land between 6
00:11:59
and 8 p.m.
00:12:00
shortly before 4 o'clock their
00:12:03
prediction was amended to the window of
00:12:06
5:30 and 7 p.m. the planning officer
00:12:10
responsible for the Churchill fire
00:12:12
unaware of the amendment told the
00:12:15
incident management team to expect it at
00:12:17
the midpoint of 7 when the change
00:12:20
arrived an hour earlier than anticipated
00:12:23
it sent 70 kilometer and hour gusts
00:12:26
through the region that suddenly shifted
00:12:29
the fire in a northeasterly direction
00:12:32
the winds posed the significant threat
00:12:35
to aircrafts and forced them to land as
00:12:38
a 15 kilometer long uncontrolled flanker
00:12:42
fire developed that ran from the origin
00:12:44
point near Churchill through to the east
00:12:47
side of Mount Tazi as it progressed
00:12:50
forward burning debris rained down and
00:12:53
ignited the surrounding vegetation
00:12:55
almost instantly it was accompanied by
00:13:00
an ear-splitting rush of white noise
00:13:02
described by witnesses as the sound of
00:13:05
immense pressure like that of a jet
00:13:08
engine
00:13:10
following this hurricane like wind
00:13:12
change the fire was at its most
00:13:15
dangerous threatening multiple townships
00:13:17
as well as the one Ron State Forest
00:13:21
residents working fervently to defend
00:13:24
their homes were now blinded by an
00:13:26
all-encompassing blackness composed of
00:13:29
smoke and - all of a sudden the inbound
00:13:34
firestorm appeared through the dark like
00:13:36
a sunrise Churchill resident Greg where
00:13:40
stated I knew the fire front was coming
00:13:45
you could hear it you could smell it you
00:13:48
could feel the heat coming up out of the
00:13:50
valley
00:13:51
the flames were right there and were the
00:13:54
height of the trees and to that again
00:13:57
300 feet higher plus there were big
00:14:01
swirling vortexes just the big swirling
00:14:04
masses of flames that would burst and
00:14:06
explode out of the treetops shortly
00:14:12
after 6:00 p.m. three water tankers
00:14:14
belonging to volunteer fire service the
00:14:17
Country Fire Authority were involved in
00:14:20
a series of burnovers wherein their
00:14:22
crews were forced to take shelter where
00:14:24
possible as the fire entrapped them to
00:14:28
burn overhead with quote great ferocity
00:14:32
firefighter Graham Chesterton recalled I
00:14:37
could see embers start to fall it was
00:14:40
like they were coming from everywhere it
00:14:42
became very smoky and everything started
00:14:45
to burn rapidly there were spot fires on
00:14:48
the ground all around me and the trees
00:14:50
started burning at that stage I guessed
00:14:55
I had about 10 to 15 seconds until I
00:14:57
would have to make a move within those
00:15:01
seconds the conditions deteriorated so
00:15:03
rapidly that I realized that wasn't safe
00:15:06
to leave the truck at that time I did
00:15:09
not know where all my crew members were
00:15:11
I made the decision to make a mayday
00:15:15
call I said something along the lines of
00:15:18
we are completely surrounded by fire
00:15:23
deburr nova lasted an estimated 10
00:15:26
minutes
00:15:27
firefighting crews elsewhere listened as
00:15:30
their colleagues frantically broadcast
00:15:32
the Mayday calls over radio but were
00:15:34
unable to approach the scene due to the
00:15:37
level of danger all they could do was
00:15:41
respond there is nothing we can do for
00:15:44
you
00:15:47
incredibly none of the firefighters
00:15:50
caught in the burn over lost their lives
00:15:53
the fire finally slowed at 8:00 p.m. and
00:15:57
by the following day of Sunday February
00:15:59
8
00:16:00
it was mostly brought to a hole although
00:16:03
burning continued in heavily fueled
00:16:05
areas the Churchill fire named after its
00:16:09
point of origin was not officially
00:16:12
listed as under control until 11 days
00:16:14
later on February 19 more than 600
00:16:19
firefighting personnel battled the blaze
00:16:21
supported by 105 vehicles and appliances
00:16:26
in total it had burnt more than 25
00:16:29
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one
00:16:31
hectares and destroyed 145 homes
00:16:36
elsewhere 400 separate bush fires had
00:16:40
devastated the Victorian landscape with
00:16:43
the most destructive and deadly being
00:16:45
the King lake in - Marysville fires in
00:16:47
the state's northeast collectively the
00:16:51
fires had released the 80,000 kilowatts
00:16:54
of heat the equivalent of 500 atomic
00:16:57
bombs 173 people had perished and 414
00:17:03
were left injured more than 2,000 homes
00:17:06
and 10,000 kilometers of fence line had
00:17:09
been razed and an estimated 1 million
00:17:12
animals were killed February 7 2009
00:17:17
became the deadliest bushfire
00:17:19
catastrophe in Victorious history and
00:17:22
was henceforth referred to as Black
00:17:25
Saturday
00:17:29
58 year old alfred friendo and his wife
00:17:33
elaine lived on old Coligny road in
00:17:36
Killarney with their youngest son mark
00:17:38
who was disabled and in their care
00:17:41
the couple had made no plans for what
00:17:44
they would do if a bushfire ever
00:17:46
threatened their livelihoods as the
00:17:48
possibility never really crossed their
00:17:51
minds On February 7 2009 and neighbor
00:17:56
alerted the friendos to smoke rising in
00:17:59
the direction of Churchill the fire was
00:18:02
nearly 15 kilometres away and - the
00:18:05
couple were certain it would not reach
00:18:07
their property as a precaution they
00:18:10
collected a pump poly piping and a spray
00:18:13
nozzle and connected them to the dam
00:18:15
near their house as the fire drew near
00:18:20
Elaine took their son Mark to her
00:18:22
parents house for safety alfred remained
00:18:26
behind and was soon joined by his eldest
00:18:29
son 27 year olds God who had arrived to
00:18:33
help defend his parents property at 5:59
00:18:37
p.m. Scott sent his partner a text
00:18:40
informing her that although they didn't
00:18:43
know exactly how close the fire was it
00:18:46
was very close and they were in trouble
00:18:49
he then found his mother to tell her
00:18:52
that the hay shed at the bottom of the
00:18:54
paddock was on fire and requested she
00:18:57
call the fire brigade less than half an
00:19:01
hour later Scott phoned a friend who
00:19:03
later recalled he sounded terrified and
00:19:08
in a raised voice he said get some
00:19:11
[ __ ] fire trucks here before the call
00:19:14
dropped out
00:19:16
at 6:30 p.m. a couple of vacua ting the
00:19:20
area drove past the Alford friend OHS
00:19:22
vehicle which was located about one and
00:19:25
a half kilometres from his property and
00:19:27
burning on the opposite side of the road
00:19:31
Alfred's body was later found in his car
00:19:36
sixty meters away resting in burnt
00:19:39
bushland off the road was Scott friend
00:19:41
OHS vehicle his remains were recovered
00:19:44
14 meters from his car it appeared the
00:19:49
father and son had made a last-minute
00:19:50
decision to evacuate in separate
00:19:53
vehicles before Scott had attempted to
00:19:55
flee on foot when a lane friendo
00:19:59
returned home a week after the fires she
00:20:02
broke down upon discovering her house
00:20:05
was still standing her husband and son
00:20:08
had succeeded in defending the property
00:20:11
[Music]
00:20:15
for 13 years bill and Shirley Gibson had
00:20:19
lived in their single-story redcedar
00:20:21
home on Glen Donald Road in Hazelwood
00:20:24
south built in the 1970s the house sat
00:20:29
on a large sloping Bush block surrounded
00:20:31
by woodland the couple kept their
00:20:35
property in neat condition ensuring the
00:20:37
lawn was trimmed and the guttering was
00:20:40
clear shortly before 2:00 p.m. on
00:20:43
February 7 2009 after the Churchill fire
00:20:48
arose within two kilometers of their
00:20:50
home Bill and Shirley elected to leave
00:20:53
the property as they packed their car
00:20:56
one of their sons 49 year old Colin
00:21:00
drove up to the house he was intent on
00:21:04
protecting his parents home and two
00:21:06
refused his father's requests to leave
00:21:10
Colin was soon joined by his younger
00:21:13
brother 47 year old David both men were
00:21:18
experienced in fighting fires David had
00:21:21
been a member of the Country Fire
00:21:23
Authority for 25 years and was
00:21:25
considered very very competent when it
00:21:28
came to firefighting while Colin had
00:21:30
been a lieutenant in the Queensland Fire
00:21:33
Service
00:21:35
after their parents had left the
00:21:37
brothers spent the afternoon hosing down
00:21:40
the house flooding the gutters with
00:21:42
water dampening cushions on the veranda
00:21:45
hanging wet towels over the windows and
00:21:48
filling everything they could with the
00:21:50
water they phoned family members as they
00:21:54
worked telling them that they were safe
00:21:56
that the fire was not close by and that
00:21:59
they were to leave shortly in a call to
00:22:03
his mother
00:22:04
David reassured her the house is safe
00:22:07
mum don't worry about it and told her he
00:22:11
loved her before hanging up at 3:30 p.m.
00:22:16
David spoke over the phone with a police
00:22:19
officer stationed at a nearby roadblock
00:22:22
who warned him to expect two very strong
00:22:25
winds that could produce very dangerous
00:22:28
conditions
00:22:30
David contacted his son at around 6 p.m.
00:22:33
to report that the fire had passed
00:22:36
although he also mentioned quote
00:22:39
something about a winter change it
00:22:44
arrived 15 minutes later early the
00:22:49
following morning Colin and David
00:22:51
Gibson's bodies were found in their
00:22:53
parents destroyed house the only
00:22:57
possible escape route had been the 200
00:23:00
metre driveway to the main road which at
00:23:03
the time of their deaths had led
00:23:05
directly into the fire
00:23:07
[Music]
00:23:10
51 year-old Allen Jacobs sent his fifty
00:23:13
year old wife Mira's lived in a brick
00:23:16
veneer house with a corrugated iron roof
00:23:19
situated in a densely treed area of
00:23:22
cornellà their remote sloped property
00:23:25
backed onto a creek and was described by
00:23:28
a neighbor as the most beautiful little
00:23:31
Valley you could ever live in Allen and
00:23:34
Mira's had been married for 30 years and
00:23:37
had two sons one of whom was overseas
00:23:41
their fire plan was to stay and defend
00:23:44
their property which was equipped with
00:23:46
independent power several sources of
00:23:49
water and firefighting equipment they
00:23:53
were prepared to take shelter in a
00:23:55
workshop garage positioned beneath their
00:23:57
house and to wait for the fire front to
00:24:00
pass then emerge to extinguish any
00:24:03
remaining spot fires the workshop was
00:24:07
accessed the via a roller door and had a
00:24:09
concrete base and ceiling with double
00:24:12
brick walls and a large window at one
00:24:14
end covered in a steel shutter On
00:24:19
February 7 2009 Allen and morose were
00:24:23
joined by their son Luke and his friend
00:24:25
Nathan Charles both aged 21 they along
00:24:30
with several of their friends spent the
00:24:33
afternoon preparing the Jacobs home for
00:24:35
the fire the fire front was just over
00:24:39
the hill but based on the Blazers
00:24:41
migration it was only expected to skim
00:24:44
the edge of the property nevertheless
00:24:47
discussions were held in relation to
00:24:49
staying or evacuating Allen Jacobs told
00:24:53
the others that the choice was theirs
00:24:55
but the garage would be a safe haven for
00:24:58
those who remained behind by 6 p.m.
00:25:02
almost everyone had left or was leaving
00:25:06
Nathan Charles was the only person who
00:25:09
decided to stay behind with Allen morose
00:25:11
and to Luke Jacobs
00:25:14
the wind changed soon after and at 6:44
00:25:18
p.m. Nathan placed the call to triple
00:25:21
zero explaining that the house was on
00:25:23
fire and two that they were trapped
00:25:26
he then found his father understanded as
00:25:30
though he was saying goodbye but the
00:25:32
call dropped out Nathan's father then
00:25:36
received the text from his son that red
00:25:39
dad
00:25:41
undead I love you
00:25:46
the fire destroyed the Jacobs carport
00:25:49
car's boat and almost the entire house
00:25:53
the bodies of Allen morose and Luke
00:25:57
Jacobs and Nathan Charles were found the
00:26:00
following day inside the garage which
00:26:03
remained intact a forensic scientist
00:26:07
concluded with the doors closed tightly
00:26:11
and the window shuddered ventilation
00:26:14
would be limited in the circumstances
00:26:18
with carbon monoxide and dioxide levels
00:26:22
increasing and oxygen being consumed in
00:26:24
the fire ventilation could be a critical
00:26:27
issue all four victims had asphyxiated
00:26:36
Coligny resident Jenny lived in a
00:26:39
single-story house with her husband
00:26:41
Glenn and their two young children
00:26:44
although their property was bordered by
00:26:47
bushland it was clear of vegetation and
00:26:50
trees Jenny and Glenn's fire plan was to
00:26:54
fight off any floating embers with their
00:26:56
basic equipment and to leave if the
00:26:58
situation worsened
00:27:01
in the early afternoon of February 7
00:27:04
2009
00:27:05
Jenny dropped her children off at her
00:27:08
in-laws and returned home to her husband
00:27:10
she hoped her mother 51 year old Annette
00:27:14
Latham would stay in the comfort of her
00:27:16
home as she had an autoimmune disease
00:27:18
that limited her ability to move quickly
00:27:22
however at 5:30 p.m.
00:27:25
Annette and her husband Rodney arrived
00:27:28
at Jenny's house to help defend the
00:27:30
property they were aware of the smoke
00:27:34
and strong winds but the lack of embers
00:27:36
and - meant there was no indication they
00:27:39
should be seriously concerned for their
00:27:41
safety just before 6 p.m. Rodney
00:27:46
received a call from his brother who
00:27:48
warned him of the anticipated winds
00:27:50
change neither Rodney nor Glen
00:27:53
understood the implications of this with
00:27:56
Glen later stating I had no idea that
00:28:00
the fire front would be heading directly
00:28:02
for us when the wind changed Rodney and
00:28:06
I both thought it would horseshoe around
00:28:08
us by 6:30 p.m. the power had gone out
00:28:13
and the countryside was enveloped by a
00:28:16
haunting red glow prompting Jenny Glen
00:28:19
Rodney and Annette to discuss their
00:28:22
options when embers started swirling
00:28:26
around the property at 7 p.m. the group
00:28:29
decided to evacuate Jenny and Glen left
00:28:33
in separate vehicles with Rodney and
00:28:36
Annette following behind in their youth
00:28:39
within minutes cinder was raining down
00:28:42
around them like red-hot bullets
00:28:46
as rodney drove he was confronted by
00:28:50
what he described as a massive fast
00:28:53
furious grass fire as the fire front
00:28:57
rose over the hill and began raining
00:28:59
thick black droplets on to his vehicle's
00:29:02
windscreen surrounded by fire and unable
00:29:07
to see clearly rodney tried to back the
00:29:10
ute into a dam but when it appeared to
00:29:12
store his panicked wife
00:29:15
decided to make a run for the house and
00:29:18
that lead them opened the passenger side
00:29:21
door and to lap down immediately falling
00:29:24
into the fire Rodney rushed to help but
00:29:29
was unable to save her despite
00:29:32
witnessing his wife's death and having
00:29:35
sustained severe burns to 40% of his
00:29:38
body Rodney went on to battle several
00:29:41
spot fires and managed to save his
00:29:44
daughter's house
00:29:49
in September 2007 Martin Schultz and his
00:29:54
wife Rachel relocated from Queensland to
00:29:57
Victoria with their young son and
00:29:59
settled into a house on factory road in
00:30:02
Coligny by 2009 Martin and Rachel had
00:30:07
separated but maintained an amicable
00:30:09
relationship Martin worked in a local
00:30:13
brick factory and continued living at
00:30:15
the Coligny property with his pet dog
00:30:17
Kelly Martin was home alone On February
00:30:22
7 2009 when his father-in-law called to
00:30:26
inform him about the fire underway in
00:30:28
Churchill at around 3 p.m. that day a
00:30:33
neighbor visited to warn Martin of the
00:30:35
fires proximity estimating that it was
00:30:38
only about ten kilometres away
00:30:41
Martin was unaware of the danger
00:30:44
although some smoke was visible
00:30:47
it was mostly obscured by a large ridge
00:30:49
behind his house and there was no odor
00:30:52
in the air his father-in-law found a
00:30:56
second time at about 4:00 p.m.
00:30:58
telling him that the fire was moving in
00:31:01
his direction and to prepare to leave
00:31:04
Martin responded that the fire was not
00:31:06
there yet but he was ready to go an hour
00:31:11
later he spoke to his ex-wife Rachel
00:31:14
asking if she wanted him to pack
00:31:16
anything in the car before he left the
00:31:18
property
00:31:20
she pressed him to leave immediately but
00:31:23
Martin assured her that it wasn't that
00:31:25
bad as the fire wasn't there yet
00:31:28
Martin then spoke to his sister on the
00:31:31
phone who encouraged her brother to act
00:31:33
intuitively despite the country fire
00:31:36
authorities website deeming the area
00:31:38
safe she called back a short time later
00:31:42
to warn him about the anticipated a
00:31:45
winter change quote Martin told me if
00:31:49
the wind came from the south he was
00:31:51
screwed and that he was going to leave
00:31:55
at 6:40 p.m. Martin found his ex-wife
00:31:59
once more to tell her that he was in the
00:32:01
car Rachel recalled I could hear the
00:32:06
wind and to the incredible roar so it
00:32:09
must have hit by then I could hear fear
00:32:12
and hurriedness in his voice
00:32:15
she instructed Martin to go to her
00:32:17
father's house 20 minutes later a
00:32:21
distressed Martin called his
00:32:23
father-in-law and stated there's a tree
00:32:27
across the road and I'm on fire this was
00:32:32
the last anyone heard from Martin
00:32:34
Schultz and he was registered as a
00:32:36
missing person the following day almost
00:32:39
a week later Martin's body along with
00:32:42
that of his dog was found in his
00:32:45
burnt-out car in a creek bed three
00:32:47
kilometers from his home Gertrude and
00:32:53
Eric Martin emigrated to Australia from
00:32:56
Germany in 1956 bringing with them their
00:33:00
two children before having their third
00:33:02
in Melbourne in 1973 the mums purchased
00:33:08
that dilapidated old dairy farm on jira
00:33:10
Lane North Road in JIRA Lane then said
00:33:13
about fixing up its weatherboard
00:33:15
and cement shade home they added a wood
00:33:19
grain extension and filled the
00:33:21
surrounding garden with ornamental trees
00:33:23
and shrubs the pair worked on the farm
00:33:26
for 30 years but had recently settled
00:33:29
down when Gertrude's health declined at
00:33:33
80 years old she suffered from a heart
00:33:36
condition high blood pressure and had
00:33:38
trouble with her hips
00:33:41
Eric was aware of the fire danger
00:33:43
forecast for February 7 2009 and spent
00:33:47
the morning making final preparations to
00:33:49
defend his home at 2:00 p.m. and
00:33:53
neighbor who lived 15 kilometers down
00:33:56
the road phoned triple zero to report
00:33:59
that the fire was about a kilometer away
00:34:01
from his property and heading towards
00:34:04
the Martins
00:34:05
police officers were tasked with
00:34:08
conducting a welfare check on the
00:34:10
elderly couple however their notes did
00:34:13
not specify a name or address so was not
00:34:16
carried out as Gertrude made a lunch
00:34:20
eric noticed the gray and yellow smoke
00:34:23
in the air which was soon accompanied by
00:34:25
flames he grabbed his pump to soak the
00:34:29
exterior of their house but the suction
00:34:32
hose had already melted burning branches
00:34:36
sticks and leaves rained down onto the
00:34:38
roof while inside the home heat and
00:34:41
smoke radiated down the hallway into the
00:34:44
kitchen realizing there was no hope to
00:34:48
defend their home Eric guided a Gertrude
00:34:51
towards a rear door that led out to the
00:34:54
back porch when he opened the door fire
00:34:58
immediately shot inside so he quickly
00:35:01
slammed it shut later explaining I don't
00:35:06
know how long we waited but the house
00:35:08
was burning and everything around us was
00:35:11
burning
00:35:12
after a minute or two I tried the door
00:35:15
again and - the flames were totally gone
00:35:20
when the blaze subsided Eric led to
00:35:23
Gertrude outside into the fence line
00:35:26
where she expressed the need to rest and
00:35:29
settled down by a fence post
00:35:32
Eric placed the wet towel over his
00:35:35
wife's head intended back to the house
00:35:37
to extinguish several spa fires upon
00:35:41
returning to Gertrude minutes later he
00:35:44
found her lying on the ground as though
00:35:46
she was sleeping
00:35:48
Eric held her hand only to realize she
00:35:52
had passed away it was later determined
00:35:56
that Gertrude Martin had died as a
00:35:58
result of a heart attack
00:36:15
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00:42:04
Victoria police's arson squad began
00:42:07
looking into the Churchill fire dubbing
00:42:09
their investigation operation Winston
00:42:12
the first call to emergency services on
00:42:15
Saturday February 7 indicated that the
00:42:18
fire had started at around 1:30 p.m.
00:42:21
with witness reports isolating its
00:42:23
origin to somewhere near Glen Donald
00:42:25
Road and jealous outlet around 4
00:42:28
kilometers southeast of Churchill's Town
00:42:30
Centre local wild fire investigator from
00:42:35
the Department of Sustainability and
00:42:36
environment
00:42:37
Ross Pridgen had examined the scene the
00:42:40
day after the blaze first responders had
00:42:44
reported two parallel fires burning in
00:42:46
the area before they connected into one
00:42:49
catastrophic Inferno prison was able to
00:42:53
isolate exactly where the two fires had
00:42:55
met and after inspecting the location
00:42:58
for an hour he had calculated the origin
00:43:01
point for each they had ignited a
00:43:04
hundred metres apart on either side of
00:43:06
jelous outlet the first started amongst
00:43:10
the dry brush and Bracken within the
00:43:12
surrounding plantation the second had
00:43:16
arisen from a pile of discarded junk
00:43:18
that included old tires mattresses and
00:43:21
faulty bicycles none of which were
00:43:23
capable of self igniting all scenarios
00:43:28
including that the fires had been caused
00:43:30
by car exhausts campfires broken glass
00:43:33
lightning strikes or discarded
00:43:36
cigarettes were explored and ultimately
00:43:38
rejected the possibility that embers
00:43:42
from one fire had started the other was
00:43:45
also ruled out as both blazes arose in
00:43:48
quick succession and it typically takes
00:43:50
upwards of 15 to 20 minutes for such
00:43:53
spreading to occur
00:43:55
additionally a stray ember from the
00:43:58
first fire would have had to travel
00:43:59
backwards then sideways against strong
00:44:02
winds to start the second arson
00:44:06
detectives were certain that Churchill
00:44:09
fire had been deliberately led although
00:44:13
no evidence of any improvised thought
00:44:15
delayed incendiary devices or flammable
00:44:18
liquids was uncovered at the origin
00:44:21
point one fire expert claimed that
00:44:24
something as simple as a lit match or
00:44:26
cigarette lighter would be enough to
00:44:28
cause the wildfire given the dry
00:44:30
condition of the forest
00:44:32
coupled with the hot windy weather
00:44:34
[Music]
00:44:35
Hancock Victorian plantations the timber
00:44:39
company that owned the forest had
00:44:41
patrolled the area from the ground and
00:44:43
sky throughout February 7 and hadn't
00:44:46
reported anything suspicious as the
00:44:50
state was on high alert that day police
00:44:53
had also been covertly surveilling known
00:44:55
fire bugs in the region however none had
00:44:59
visited the scene of the crime although
00:45:02
not an exact science arson profiling did
00:45:06
offer investigators some insight into
00:45:08
the type of person capable of carrying
00:45:10
out such an act according to one
00:45:14
prominent model the fire setting
00:45:16
intervention program for mentally
00:45:18
disordered offenders arsonists are
00:45:21
typically male unemployed or struggling
00:45:24
in the workforce from a disadvantaged
00:45:26
background exhibit poor social skills
00:45:29
and have a family history marred with
00:45:32
abuse and/or addiction deliberately lit
00:45:37
fires are more common in semi-rural
00:45:39
bushland regions such as those within
00:45:42
the Latrobe Valley where public
00:45:44
transport was poor incomes were low
00:45:46
youth unemployment was high and child
00:45:49
abuse and neglect occurred at a higher
00:45:52
rate per capita motive could have ranged
00:45:56
from an act of revenge to a targeted
00:45:58
attack or a random opportunity as only
00:46:03
1% of arsonists are ever caught the odds
00:46:07
of solving the crime were
00:46:08
stacked against operation Winston in
00:46:12
response to Victoria police confirming
00:46:14
that they were investigating the work of
00:46:16
an arsonist Australia's Prime Minister
00:46:19
Kevin Rudd remarked what do you say
00:46:23
about anyone like that what do you say I
00:46:26
don't know there's no words to describe
00:46:30
it other than that's mass murder while
00:46:38
Larson squad detective Senior Constable
00:46:41
Paul Burton cello was reexamining the
00:46:44
crime scene the weather board farmhouse
00:46:46
on the top of a hill to the yeast caught
00:46:49
his attention he visited the homestead
00:46:52
which was just up the road from the
00:46:54
property where brother's Colin and David
00:46:56
Gibson had lost their lives
00:46:58
Liam Ferguson a student aged in his
00:47:01
early 20s answered the door Liam along
00:47:06
with members of his immediate and
00:47:07
extended family had managed to save
00:47:10
their house
00:47:11
although the landscape around it was
00:47:13
completely destroyed Liam told detective
00:47:17
Burton chello that he was defending an
00:47:20
area of his property by himself on the
00:47:22
evening of Black Saturday when a man
00:47:24
suddenly emerged from the fire and smoke
00:47:27
he was aged in his late thirties with a
00:47:30
stocky build and had a quote pudgy
00:47:34
boyish face the man was dressed in
00:47:38
camouflage print clothing and heavy work
00:47:41
boots and was carrying a small tan
00:47:43
colored Terrier dog called Brockie
00:47:47
Liam presumed he was trying to escape
00:47:49
the fire and did they fled into the
00:47:52
house together where the man stood
00:47:54
calmly in the living room
00:47:56
Liam ordered him to call triple zero
00:47:58
before returning outside to search for
00:48:01
his father once the fire front had
00:48:05
passed the men helped too Liam and his
00:48:07
family hosed down the area he introduced
00:48:11
himself as Brendan and said he had been
00:48:13
in the area helping a friend and former
00:48:16
colleague who lived close by named Peter
00:48:19
Townsend
00:48:20
brenton explained that his car had
00:48:23
broken down along the road and expressed
00:48:26
concern that if it was destroyed
00:48:28
insurers would only pay him five hundred
00:48:30
dollars not enough money to replace it
00:48:34
Brendon was described as vague and only
00:48:37
spoke when spoken to at around 10 p.m. a
00:48:42
fire truck arrived at the Ferguson house
00:48:45
and to the family asked the crew to take
00:48:47
Brendon home as he made them feel uneasy
00:48:52
Liam gave detective Burton cello a
00:48:55
plastic bag that contained a camouflage
00:48:57
print canvas hat that Brendon had left
00:49:00
behind
00:49:01
he also recalled seeing a stationary
00:49:04
sky-blue Holden sedan on Glen Donald
00:49:07
Road On February 7 it was parked at an
00:49:11
odd angle on the grassy verge as though
00:49:14
the driver had pulled over suddenly and
00:49:16
abandoned it Liam's mother had also
00:49:19
observed that the car when she evacuated
00:49:21
the area at 2 p.m. around half an hour
00:49:24
after the fire had been lit another
00:49:28
local had witnessed the Holden driving
00:49:30
up and down the street in recent times
00:49:32
and presumed it belonged to one of his
00:49:35
neighbors On February 7 he too saw it
00:49:40
parked haphazardly on glen donald road
00:49:42
as a man frantically tried to start its
00:49:45
engine despite the man's efforts the
00:49:49
Holden had been left behind and was
00:49:51
burnt by the fire with its upholstery
00:49:53
windows and tires incinerated
00:49:57
according to one witness the car's owner
00:50:00
returned to the area the day after the
00:50:03
blaze with a tow truck but was advised
00:50:05
to leave the vehicle as it was part of a
00:50:07
crime scene he retorted don't start that
00:50:12
[ __ ] I came down to help a mate with the
00:50:15
fires the car was towed to Connolly's
00:50:19
towing and panel bedding in Moore well
00:50:21
just over 10 kilometers north of
00:50:23
Churchill when detectives visited the
00:50:27
panel beaters to ask if they had
00:50:29
recovered any vehicles from the fire
00:50:31
zone the shop owner said they had only
00:50:33
picked up a one he showed detectives a
00:50:37
burnt-out
00:50:37
colorless shell which had once been a
00:50:40
sky-blue 1974 HJ Holden they could
00:50:45
barely decipher the damage to the
00:50:47
license plate which read slw three 87
00:50:53
the towing receipt had been made out to
00:50:56
a man named Brendan Sokka Locke who
00:50:58
lived on Shi Oak Grove in Churchill when
00:51:04
detectives checked to Brendan sokka luxe
00:51:07
details they learned that he was 39
00:51:09
years old and didn't have a criminal
00:51:11
record they decided to speak with Peter
00:51:15
Townsend the friend whose soccer lock
00:51:17
had allegedly visited on Black Saturday
00:51:20
Peter had previously worked with soccer
00:51:23
lock at Monash University's Gippsland
00:51:26
campus where they were both employed as
00:51:28
gardeners On February 7 Peter and his
00:51:32
wife were evacuating by car when they
00:51:34
noticed the soccer locks are bent and
00:51:36
holdin on Glenn Donald road despite
00:51:40
chocolat telling others that he's reason
00:51:42
for being in the area was to visit peter
00:51:44
his vehicle was parked some distance
00:51:47
from the Townsend's property and faced
00:51:49
away from it according to Peter soccer
00:51:54
Locke had a poor reputation at that
00:51:56
former workplace where he was known to
00:51:58
lie and make up stories to impress
00:52:00
others he was considered childish and
00:52:04
would scare colleagues by leaping out of
00:52:06
bushes or bins poke snakes with sticks
00:52:09
and
00:52:10
brag about tying cats tails together he
00:52:14
repeatedly stared and grunted at one
00:52:16
female staff member until she eventually
00:52:19
resigned because she couldn't stand it
00:52:21
any longer in moments of anger Sokka
00:52:26
Lockwood threatened to kill others into
00:52:28
their families but smiled as he did so
00:52:31
confusing his targets as to whether he
00:52:33
was joking or not those who complained
00:52:37
about his behavior often found to their
00:52:39
cars damaged or tools missing Sokka
00:52:43
Locke was never caught committing
00:52:45
criminal acts presumably because he knew
00:52:47
the location of the campuses security
00:52:49
cameras and avoided them accordingly
00:52:53
Sokka Locke worked at the University for
00:52:55
18 years until in mid 2006 he was
00:52:59
finally terminated following a dispute
00:53:02
with his supervisor the supervisor had
00:53:05
put together a list of staff grievances
00:53:08
regarding soccer Locke which included
00:53:10
him following colleagues home and later
00:53:12
informing them watch out I know where
00:53:15
you live challenging the boyfriend of a
00:53:17
female staff member to a duel
00:53:20
lifting the guard on his ride on Mulla
00:53:22
to show a debris on colleagues and
00:53:24
deliberately running over golf balls
00:53:27
causing them to shoot out at bystanders
00:53:30
soccer locks neighbors were also
00:53:32
unnerved by his behavior they would hear
00:53:35
him tinkering in his backyard shed while
00:53:38
he listened to the children's television
00:53:39
shows Bob the Builder and Thomas the
00:53:42
Tank Engine one woman noticed him a
00:53:46
leering over her fence prompting her to
00:53:48
hang up drapes to prevent him from
00:53:50
seeing into her windows the day after
00:53:55
Black Saturday soccer lock left a
00:53:58
voicemail for Peter Townsend in which he
00:54:00
stated Peter it's Brendan I tried to get
00:54:04
up see if you're all right my car broke
00:54:07
down in Glen Donald road and it's
00:54:09
torched near tried to get hold of you
00:54:12
but you were busy I'll catch up with you
00:54:14
later mate
00:54:15
hope you're safe and well
00:54:18
Peter also informed detectives that
00:54:21
shortly before 2:00 p.m. on the day of
00:54:23
the fire he saw Shakalaka getting into a
00:54:26
car belonging to a local woman named
00:54:29
Nathalie Turner
00:54:31
Nathalie had been with her parents that
00:54:34
day when she noticed the smoke and
00:54:36
decided to flee the area with her
00:54:38
partner and children had around 1:45
00:54:40
p.m. they drove along Glenn Donald Road
00:54:44
where a blue Holden sedan slightly
00:54:47
obscured their way a dazed man stood
00:54:51
alongside it with his small dog Natalie
00:54:55
and her partner offered him a lift
00:54:57
taking him all the way to his home in
00:54:59
Churchill during the drive he remarked I
00:55:03
hope my car doesn't burn he repeated the
00:55:07
comment when they dropped him off before
00:55:09
quickly adding oh and I hope nobody gets
00:55:13
hurt investigators obtained records from
00:55:18
triple zero emergency services which
00:55:21
listed the telephone numbers and
00:55:22
addresses of individuals who called them
00:55:25
on Black Saturday it was discovered that
00:55:29
the call placed to triple zero when the
00:55:31
Churchill fire commenced came from a
00:55:34
phone belonging to Brendan Sokka Locke
00:55:39
on Thursday February 12 five days after
00:55:43
the fire police arrived at Brendon
00:55:46
soccer Locke's modest brick veneer
00:55:47
bungalow in Churchill only to discover
00:55:50
no one was home a call to soccer locks
00:55:54
mobile phone revealed he was out
00:55:56
delivering newspapers a side job he had
00:55:59
taken to supplement his income
00:56:02
investigators caught up to him and
00:56:04
placed him under arrest for arson he
00:56:08
responded I didn't light any fires the
00:56:14
search of soccer locks house uncovered
00:56:16
matches in a bathroom a lighter in his
00:56:19
bedroom the registration for his
00:56:21
burnt-out car and a business card from
00:56:24
Connolly's towing and panel beading in
00:56:26
Moore well his backyard was cluttered
00:56:29
with the junk furniture and electrical
00:56:31
equipment that was scattered around
00:56:33
patches of scorched earth investigators
00:56:37
set up a camera for a video interview in
00:56:40
the property and escorted soccer lock
00:56:42
inside the footage captured the stocky
00:56:46
man with short graying hair in an outfit
00:56:48
consisting of a sweatshirt shorts and
00:56:51
long socks in varying shades of green
00:56:54
when asked to confirm his name age and
00:56:58
date of birth
00:56:59
soccer LOC responded in a slow
00:57:01
disjointed manner while keeping his
00:57:03
hands in his pockets and shifting
00:57:05
awkwardly in place
00:57:07
he replied Brendan before pausing and
00:57:11
pulling a face he then stated 30
00:57:15
something or rather he answered the
00:57:19
question what's your mum's name with
00:57:22
none the detectives were perplexed by
00:57:26
soccer lofts abrupt change in demeanor
00:57:29
up until this point he had spoken to
00:57:32
them fluently and coherently but as soon
00:57:35
as the camera was on him he acted obtuse
00:57:39
soccer lock pointed to a police officer
00:57:42
outside and asked who the bad man was
00:57:45
and continued to respond to questions in
00:57:48
an indecipherable and childlike manner
00:57:51
he stated he couldn't remember what he
00:57:53
had been arrested for and when it was
00:57:56
made clear to him that it was in
00:57:57
relation to the Churchill fire
00:57:59
specifically arson causing death Sokka
00:58:02
Locke replied probably interviewing
00:58:08
detective and head of the arson squad
00:58:10
senior sergeant Adam shoe Smith asked
00:58:13
does this all sound familiar or you're
00:58:16
not sure
00:58:17
Sokka Locke responded I don't really
00:58:21
comprehend things too much before adding
00:58:24
I'll say yes just to make you happy at
00:58:31
this point the interview was suspended
00:58:33
having only lasted six minutes
00:58:37
investigators spoke with Brendan Sokka
00:58:40
Locke's father who revealed that his son
00:58:42
had an acquired brain injury from birth
00:58:45
sokka Locke was then escorted to the
00:58:48
Morwell police station to await
00:58:50
assessment from a specialist
00:58:53
during the riot his demeanor changed yet
00:58:56
again and he was back to being astute
00:58:58
and a lucid while also displaying a hint
00:59:01
of arrogance he made snide comments to
00:59:04
the driver such as two hands on the
00:59:08
wheel for beginners and asked the you
00:59:11
nervous mate when he was placed inside
00:59:15
an interview room and a tape recorder
00:59:17
was switched on
00:59:18
sokka locks manner of speaking once
00:59:21
again became vague and simple he said he
00:59:25
couldn't remember his middle name and he
00:59:27
would ramble incoherently to avoid
00:59:30
answering direct questions detectives
00:59:34
believed soccer lock was playing up his
00:59:36
impairment and took a break from
00:59:38
interviewing when suddenly he announced
00:59:41
I want to start talking
00:59:49
Sacco Locke had described his actions on
00:59:52
Saturday February 7 2009 explaining how
00:59:56
he'd spent the morning shopping with his
00:59:58
father before the pair headed back to
01:00:00
Churchill shortly after having lunch
01:00:03
sokka Locke was driving his Holden which
01:00:06
was having issues in the heat and was on
01:00:08
the cusp of stalling before dropping his
01:00:12
father off at home sokka Locke told him
01:00:14
he planned to drive up into the hills to
01:00:16
where his friend Peter Townsend too
01:00:18
lived he returned home briefly to change
01:00:22
into some heavy work boots then visited
01:00:25
a nearby petrol station to purchase a
01:00:27
packet of Pall Mall swims green
01:00:29
cigarettes as he drove along Glenn
01:00:33
Donald road towards Peter's place
01:00:35
Saka Locke lit a cigarette with a
01:00:37
lighter due to the uneven surface of the
01:00:41
road his car vibrated causing an n/bar
01:00:44
from the cigarette to fall onto the car
01:00:46
floor
01:00:48
Saka Locke picked it up with a napkin
01:00:51
which he then tossed out the window he
01:00:55
claimed that the m bar caused the napkin
01:00:57
to ignite quote I noticed there was fire
01:01:01
and I panicked and I called triple zero
01:01:04
and I just tried to get away as quick as
01:01:06
possible just panicked
01:01:11
sokka locks car happened to break down
01:01:14
further along glen donald road leaving
01:01:16
him stranded when firefighters arrived
01:01:20
at the scene soon after they noticed a
01:01:22
soccer lock whom they did not recognize
01:01:24
staring at the growing blaze with his
01:01:27
dog in his arms they ordered him to
01:01:30
leave the area but he continued to watch
01:01:33
the flames shortly after this natalie
01:01:37
turner and her partner pulled up and
01:01:39
offered Shakalaka lift back into town
01:01:42
[Music]
01:01:43
upon returning home sokka Locke climbed
01:01:47
onto the roof and watched the fire in
01:01:49
the distance for a while at around 4:30
01:01:55
p.m. he walked back towards glen donald
01:01:58
road where he had left his car he
01:02:01
avoided the main roads which were
01:02:03
blocked off by police instead moving
01:02:06
through burning paddocks where he was
01:02:08
spotted by emergency responders who were
01:02:11
left stunned by the sight of a man
01:02:13
walking his dog
01:02:14
amidst the fire sokka Locke claimed he
01:02:19
visited Peter Townsend's home to check
01:02:21
on him but said his friend wasn't there
01:02:25
this assertion was denied by peda who
01:02:28
told police that he was indeed home at
01:02:31
the time protecting his livestock
01:02:34
Shakalaka then crossed the road to the
01:02:37
Ferguson's property where he remained
01:02:39
for several hours
01:02:42
sokka Locke told detectives that he
01:02:44
hadn't been able to sleep properly since
01:02:46
the fire and accepted that it was his
01:02:49
fault that eleven people died the
01:02:53
interview concluded with Shakalaka being
01:02:55
asked if he had told anyone what he had
01:02:57
done he replied no cuz they people would
01:03:04
go and form a lynch thing and chop a
01:03:06
person up so I kept quiet
01:03:10
an examination of Sacco locks home
01:03:14
computer revealed dozens of photographs
01:03:16
of firefighters battling the blazes on
01:03:19
Black Saturday it was also discovered
01:03:22
that he had sent an anonymous email to
01:03:24
Crimestoppers three days after the
01:03:26
incident which read I saw a Department
01:03:31
of Sustainability and environment
01:03:33
firefighter light a fire on the edge of
01:03:35
the road as I went past I'm scared too
01:03:38
the bad man will get me he described the
01:03:43
arsonist as driving a white
01:03:44
four-wheel-drive utility vehicle and
01:03:46
deliberately lighting the fire on the
01:03:49
edge of Glen donald road investigators
01:03:52
believed this report was an attempt to
01:03:55
throw them off by identifying a false
01:03:57
suspect
01:03:59
sokka Locke appeared uneasy when
01:04:02
informed that his computer was being
01:04:04
examined and it was soon discovered that
01:04:06
he had evidence of child abuse material
01:04:09
on the device throughout his confession
01:04:14
Sokka Locke reverted to his childlike
01:04:16
behavior and speech pattern that night a
01:04:20
medical officer diagnosed him with the
01:04:22
developmental disorder autism which is
01:04:25
characterized by restrictive and
01:04:27
repetitive behavior into difficulties
01:04:30
with social interaction and
01:04:31
communication autism is thought to cover
01:04:35
a broad spectrum with some diagnosed
01:04:38
individuals experiencing severe
01:04:40
impairments while others function at a
01:04:43
higher level with less debilitating
01:04:45
symptoms Sacco Locke was also found to
01:04:49
have a borderline intellectual
01:04:50
disability
01:04:55
Brenden soccer lock spent the remainder
01:04:57
of the night in police custody the
01:05:00
following day he was escorted to jealous
01:05:02
outlet for a filmed field interview
01:05:05
standing amongst the charred forest
01:05:08
soccer lock fidgeted and diverted his
01:05:10
gaze while again describing how he had
01:05:13
started the fire by throwing a napkin
01:05:15
containing a cigarette ember out of his
01:05:17
car window detectives were aware that
01:05:21
the churchill fire emerged from two
01:05:23
blazes that had been led in quick
01:05:25
succession along jealous out layer yet
01:05:28
soccer locke maintained that he had only
01:05:30
started one and it was unintentional
01:05:33
quote i didn't mean any of this to
01:05:37
happen i had no intention of this all to
01:05:40
happen now i have to put up with it for
01:05:43
the rest of my life and it makes me sad
01:05:47
police were skeptical of soccer lock
01:05:50
story when they spoke with other members
01:05:53
of the churchill community they
01:05:55
discovered that many viewed soccer lock
01:05:57
as a cunning and disturbed individual
01:05:59
soccer lock had also harbored a
01:06:02
fascination with fire from a young age
01:06:05
as a team
01:06:07
heeda bragged about lighting a fire in
01:06:09
the toilet of a local milk bar and
01:06:11
another in a park soccer lock later
01:06:15
joined the country fire authority before
01:06:18
it became mandatory for volunteers to
01:06:20
undergo police checks with one family
01:06:23
friend telling police he loved the fire
01:06:27
trucks and to the power of being a hero
01:06:31
however he was dismissed within the year
01:06:34
then twice prevented from rejoining due
01:06:37
to suspicions that he was deliberately
01:06:39
setting fires according to the book the
01:06:44
arsonist a mind on fire by true crime
01:06:47
author Chloe Hooper a CFA captain
01:06:50
reported that soccer Locke had admitted
01:06:52
to starting fires so he could go out on
01:06:54
the truck and help fight them
01:06:57
days after the Churchill fire Shakalaka
01:07:00
gave several explanations to others as
01:07:03
to why he was in the vicinity of the
01:07:05
blaze at the time that started including
01:07:07
that he was attending a wedding visiting
01:07:10
a friend and going to get a chisel back
01:07:12
from an acquaintance in one conversation
01:07:16
he described how a cigarette burning
01:07:19
down to a fuel source would provide
01:07:22
enough time for an arsonist to flee
01:07:26
questions were raised about Sokka
01:07:29
Locke's mental capacity a former
01:07:32
colleague described him as the most
01:07:34
cunning person he had ever met stating I
01:07:39
am aware that he may have a mental
01:07:41
impairment of sorts though he uses this
01:07:44
to his own advantage Brendon is a
01:07:47
smarter person than what people give him
01:07:49
credit for
01:07:52
this characterization was also supported
01:07:55
by soccer lakhs brother who shared his
01:07:57
opinion with police Peter Townsend
01:08:00
claimed he once sent to soccer lock you
01:08:04
don't seem too dumb to me
01:08:05
prompting soccer lock to explain how he
01:08:08
was occasionally assessed and would
01:08:10
slobber dribble and talkin nonsense so
01:08:14
that his Assessors would believe he
01:08:15
qualified for disability benefits soccer
01:08:20
lock traveled through the Latrobe Valley
01:08:22
collecting scrap metal which had
01:08:25
according to one local given him a real
01:08:28
geographical talent for navigating the
01:08:30
region's back streets fire access roads
01:08:33
and dirt tracks he burnt the excess junk
01:08:38
he accumulated in his backyard with
01:08:41
neighbors stating that soccer locks and
01:08:43
bonfires had been getting progressively
01:08:45
bigger although no one witnessed Brendan
01:08:49
Shakalaka lighting the Churchill fire on
01:08:52
Black Saturday there were approximately
01:08:54
160 witnesses who had information
01:08:57
regarding his movements on the day
01:09:00
Senior Constable Paul Burton cello later
01:09:04
stated every one of them delivered a
01:09:08
very very strong circumstantial case
01:09:14
Brenden soccer lock was charged with 10
01:09:17
counts of arson causing death more than
01:09:19
180 counts of recklessly causing serious
01:09:22
injury and damage and two charges
01:09:25
related to the possession of child abuse
01:09:27
material he was not charged with the
01:09:31
death of 80 year-old Gertrude Martin as
01:09:33
it was difficult to prove whether her
01:09:36
heart attack was caused by a
01:09:37
pre-existing health condition or was a
01:09:40
direct result of the fire despite the
01:09:44
charges
01:09:45
Shakalaka maintained his story that he
01:09:47
never intended to start the Churchill
01:09:49
fire and that it was an accident due to
01:09:57
the level of public anger over the case
01:09:59
super-luxe defense barrister fought to
01:10:02
suppress his identity a magistrate
01:10:05
agreed to ban the publication of soccer
01:10:08
Locke's photograph and address to
01:10:10
protect him and his family from
01:10:11
retribution the ruled that Sokka Locke's
01:10:14
name be made public quote those
01:10:18
suspected of vigilantism would not be
01:10:21
prevented from behaving in an abhorrent
01:10:23
way simply by suppressing his name as
01:10:28
the magistrate predicted vigilantes were
01:10:31
undeterred by the prospect of a
01:10:33
suppression order and were quick to name
01:10:36
and shame a website titled kill Brendan
01:10:40
Sokka Locke were soon established while
01:10:42
members of a Facebook page called
01:10:44
Brendan Sokka lock must the burn in hell
01:10:47
demanded that he be burned at the stake
01:10:51
another online group offered $10,000 to
01:10:55
whomever killed the alleged arsonist for
01:11:00
his own safety
01:11:01
Sokka Locke was relocated to a cell in
01:11:03
the Melbourne assessment prison and as
01:11:06
the van carrying him pulled out of town
01:11:08
enraged to locals pounded on the doors
01:11:11
and yelled abuse prior to soccer Locke's
01:11:16
trial the prosecution withdrew the 180
01:11:19
plus charges that pertained to
01:11:21
recklessly causing serious injury and to
01:11:24
damage
01:11:25
in order to focus exclusively on the
01:11:27
arson charges they also dropped the
01:11:30
charge relating to the child abuse
01:11:32
material as it couldn't be ascertained
01:11:35
whether soccer lock had intentionally
01:11:37
sought the images or if as he claimed
01:11:40
that data had been stored on his
01:11:42
computer as cookies while he browsed the
01:11:44
legal adult pornography sites in
01:11:49
Australia the charge of arson causing
01:11:52
death carried a maximum penalty of 25
01:11:55
years in prison
01:11:56
sokka Locke pleaded not guilty and
01:11:59
finally appeared in the Victorian
01:12:01
Supreme Court almost three years after
01:12:04
the Churchill fire various issues were
01:12:08
debated throughout the trial including
01:12:11
soccer locks mental state whether the
01:12:13
fire was accidental or deliberate and if
01:12:16
it was intentional whether he had
01:12:18
intended to kill motive was also
01:12:22
considered including whether soccer lock
01:12:25
sport treatment and reputation had
01:12:27
compelled him to take revenge against
01:12:29
his community or if he had hoped to
01:12:32
somehow control the situation and become
01:12:35
a hero
01:12:36
it was also speculated whether he had
01:12:39
falsely confessed to the crime because
01:12:42
he couldn't comprehend the gravity of
01:12:44
the situation defense barrister jane
01:12:50
dickson argued that the cause of the
01:12:52
fire was unclear and questioned how a
01:12:55
forensic examination of the crime scene
01:12:57
was even possible given that the area
01:13:00
had been disturbed by fire helicopter
01:13:03
bombing bulldozing raking and water
01:13:06
hosing the day prior
01:13:08
she theorized that an unidentified
01:13:11
motorcyclist witnessed in the area when
01:13:13
the blaze started might have been
01:13:15
responsible for the crime but also put
01:13:18
forth the possibility that it wasn't
01:13:20
arson at all
01:13:21
Sacco locks troublesome hold and sedan
01:13:24
was proposed as a possible cause with a
01:13:27
materials engineer testifying for the
01:13:30
defense that embers from the cars
01:13:32
exhaust pipe might have sparked the
01:13:34
blaze Dickson called Sokka Locke an easy
01:13:38
target
01:13:39
due to his autism Sokka Locke's
01:13:42
condition meant he experienced the
01:13:44
difficulties with social interaction
01:13:46
verbal comprehension and intellectual
01:13:49
reasoning as a child he was severely
01:13:52
bullied when his parents collected him
01:13:56
from the school bus he was sometimes
01:13:57
covered in spit and feces he could
01:14:01
barely read or write and his parents
01:14:03
with the drew him from school in year 11
01:14:05
after years of being tormented
01:14:08
struggling to make friends and to
01:14:10
learning at a slower pace
01:14:13
sokka locks recollections of his
01:14:15
employment at Monash University varied
01:14:18
to those of his colleagues describing
01:14:20
himself as their punching bag the
01:14:23
defense argued his condition had also
01:14:26
led him to believe that he had something
01:14:28
to do with the blaze and explained why
01:14:30
he kept changing his story they alleged
01:14:34
that police had used the soccer lock as
01:14:37
a scapegoat due to his reputation around
01:14:39
town as a quote odd sort of fellow and
01:14:43
to the stories implicating him as a
01:14:45
Firebug were all he say Dickson asserted
01:14:49
that her clients called her triple zero
01:14:51
to report the incident was not the
01:14:53
action of a deliberate arsonist and that
01:14:56
he had been prosecuted by circumstantial
01:14:58
evidence stating this was no contrived
01:15:03
the web of lies and deceit he might have
01:15:06
been pretty careless he might have even
01:15:08
been negligent clumsy uncoordinated
01:15:10
stupid he's certainly not in terms of
01:15:14
autism some Rain Man character frankly
01:15:18
Brendon soccer lock would not be capable
01:15:21
of calculating his way out of a paper
01:15:23
bag unless he had a map a senior
01:15:28
forensic psychologist who examined
01:15:30
soccer lock was unable to ascertain a
01:15:33
motive and was of the opinion that he
01:15:35
did not meet the criteria for a
01:15:37
diagnosis of pyromania concluding that
01:15:41
while mr. soccer locker does have
01:15:43
several characteristics associated with
01:15:46
fire setters there are a number of
01:15:48
important criteria lacking the abuse of
01:15:51
substances general criminal offending
01:15:54
and anti sociology
01:15:57
if he did deliberately light the fires
01:16:00
it is likely that his motivation was
01:16:02
either expressive as a result of his
01:16:04
social inadequacy or instrumental to
01:16:08
achieve a particular extrinsic goal the
01:16:13
prosecution argued that Sokka Locke's
01:16:15
condition did not impact his mental
01:16:17
understanding and that he had become a
01:16:20
person of interest just days after the
01:16:22
fire based on witness testimony alone
01:16:25
they portrayed Sokka Locke as a
01:16:28
calculating and cunning individual
01:16:30
describing how his demeanor changed
01:16:32
depending on the circumstances
01:16:34
his varying stories as to why he was at
01:16:37
the scene of the crime and his attempt
01:16:39
to blame a firefighter in an anonymous
01:16:41
tip-off to Crimestoppers the day after
01:16:46
the fire sokka Locke had made a claim on
01:16:48
his insurance policy in relation to his
01:16:51
burnt-out car an act that indicated he
01:16:54
had a higher level of functioning
01:16:57
multiple fire experts also gave evidence
01:17:00
as to the difficulty and a low
01:17:02
probability that a cigarette amber
01:17:04
crushed in a napkin then tossed out a
01:17:06
car window could fuel a bushfire they
01:17:10
concluded that the fire could have only
01:17:12
been lit in such a manner
01:17:13
if the napkin was already burning when
01:17:16
it was thrown out of the car
01:17:19
prosecutor ray Elston told the court
01:17:23
when the accused men arrives at that
01:17:25
intersection there is no fire no one
01:17:29
else has suggested to be present when he
01:17:32
leaves
01:17:32
it's ablaze all causes save for
01:17:37
deliberate ignition of this fire have
01:17:38
been eliminated
01:17:40
there is only therefore one irresistible
01:17:43
conclusion to draw from the totality of
01:17:46
material and to that is the accused man
01:17:50
set those fires at two points when the
01:17:58
21 victim impact statements were read in
01:18:01
court
01:18:01
Shakalaka yawned and seemed unmoved by
01:18:04
the stories he was hearing grant Jacobs
01:18:08
shared his turmoil that being the sole
01:18:10
remaining member of his family stating I
01:18:14
have been left without my mother morose
01:18:17
left without my father Alan and my
01:18:20
brother Luke who was my best friend it
01:18:24
was done by someone's deliberate until
01:18:27
intentioned actions the world has become
01:18:30
a very lonely place I just want my
01:18:34
family back which I know I can never
01:18:36
have never
01:18:41
grants art Rhonda spoke of the absolute
01:18:44
annihilation of a family and two
01:18:46
described crawling through the pile of
01:18:48
ash that was once her brother's home for
01:18:51
two and a half days hoping to find
01:18:53
anything that survived quote I weep in
01:18:58
the deepest places of my soul Rodney
01:19:03
Leatham recalled his attempts to save
01:19:06
his wife Annette who was consumed by the
01:19:08
fire in front of his eyes he described
01:19:12
feeling as though he was standing in the
01:19:14
middle of a volcano and smelling his own
01:19:17
flesh burning quote I have a thousand
01:19:21
what is that I should have done this or
01:19:23
I should have done that and my wife
01:19:26
would still be alive
01:19:28
he couldn't go out in the Sun anymore as
01:19:31
it caused his burn scars to itch
01:19:34
painfully Lockland friendo was six years
01:19:39
old when the fire took the life of his
01:19:41
father Scott and the grandfather Alfred
01:19:44
he said he missed them every day and
01:19:47
that soccer lock took away his life and
01:19:50
family nine-year-old Parker Schultz
01:19:54
thought of his deceased father Martin
01:19:56
all the time and expressed his anger at
01:19:59
soccer lot for taking away his dad pet
01:20:01
dog and house with all his things a
01:20:05
video tribute to the victims was played
01:20:08
in court which soccer lock watched
01:20:11
briefly before returning to his pens and
01:20:13
paper that he had been using to scribble
01:20:15
with throughout the trial after four
01:20:20
days of deliberation the jury found
01:20:23
Brendan Sacco lock guilty of ten counts
01:20:26
of arson causing death just as Paul
01:20:29
Coghlan told soccer lock I am satisfied
01:20:33
beyond reasonable doubt and the purposes
01:20:36
of sentencing that you intentionally lit
01:20:39
the fire intending to set fire to
01:20:41
eucalypt plantations
01:20:43
I am also satisfied that you lit the
01:20:45
fire at two distinct places at or near
01:20:48
the intersection of jealousy outlet
01:20:50
entacle and Donald Road
01:20:53
the event was terrifying for all
01:20:55
involved in the fires whether directly
01:20:58
or otherwise death from natural disaster
01:21:02
would be bad enough but their suffering
01:21:04
is significantly increased from knowing
01:21:07
that the fire which caused the death was
01:21:09
deliberately lit for the victims these
01:21:13
were and are life-changing events and to
01:21:16
know sentence that I impose can in any
01:21:18
way compensate for their loss but it
01:21:21
does bring to an end to one part of the
01:21:23
process though justice Coghlan accepted
01:21:30
that Sokka Locke had not set out to kill
01:21:32
anyone
01:21:32
he referenced the defendants training
01:21:35
with the country Fire Authority which
01:21:37
provided him with the knowledge that his
01:21:39
actions came with certain risks
01:21:41
including damage and death taking into
01:21:46
account his impaired mental functioning
01:21:48
which judge coglin believed to reduced
01:21:51
his moral culpability Brendan Sokka
01:21:54
Locke was sentenced to 17 years and to
01:21:57
nine months in jail with a non-parole
01:21:59
period of 14 years the guilty verdict
01:22:04
made Sokka Locke the state's worst mass
01:22:07
killer in March 2013 the Director of
01:22:13
Public Prosecutions appealed the length
01:22:16
of Sokolov sentence on the basis that it
01:22:18
was manifestly inadequate and sought an
01:22:21
increase to 24 to 26 years
01:22:25
they were concerned that offered a
01:22:27
little deterrence to would-be arsonists
01:22:29
especially those in bad or challenging
01:22:32
circumstances in their unanimous ruling
01:22:36
rejecting the application the Court of
01:22:40
Appeal said that while the gravity of
01:22:42
the offense was an important sentencing
01:22:44
factor
01:22:45
sokka lakhs disability had to be
01:22:47
considered quote our law does not treat
01:22:52
an offender with an intellectual
01:22:54
disability or other mental impairment in
01:22:56
the same way as an offender who does not
01:22:59
have such a disability the moral
01:23:02
culpability of a person who
01:23:04
intentionally lights a fire on a day of
01:23:06
extreme weather conditions and or in the
01:23:09
face of a total fire ban appreciating
01:23:12
there is a strong possibility that the
01:23:14
fire will spread is greater than the
01:23:17
moral culpability of a person who does
01:23:19
not understand the magnitude of that
01:23:21
risk sentencing principles require the
01:23:26
court to consider the effect which his
01:23:28
or her mental condition had on his or
01:23:30
her moral culpability in our view the
01:23:35
sentences imposed after weighing these
01:23:37
factors fell within the reasonable
01:23:39
exercise of the judge's discretion
01:23:46
a royal commission was held into the
01:23:49
Black Saturday fires which aimed to
01:23:51
examine all the specs of the
01:23:53
government's bushfire strategy it began
01:23:57
prior to Brendan Sokka Locke's trial and
01:23:59
therefore did not address his
01:24:01
involvement in the Churchill fire
01:24:03
instead focusing on the experiences and
01:24:07
reactions of emergency services
01:24:08
personnel and victims before during and
01:24:12
after the blaze the Commission
01:24:16
acknowledged numerous examples of
01:24:18
courage initiative and professionalism
01:24:21
that increased community and firefighter
01:24:24
safety protected houses and property and
01:24:27
supported a local crews who were both
01:24:29
fighting the fires and risking their own
01:24:32
homes and businesses however they
01:24:37
determined that the incident management
01:24:39
team for the Churchill fire demonstrated
01:24:41
shortcomings in management and planning
01:24:43
that contributed to the lack of
01:24:45
organization and affected the efficiency
01:24:48
of those working on the ground
01:24:50
this included the planning officers
01:24:53
inaccurate reporting of the time of the
01:24:56
severe winter change which occurred an
01:24:58
hour earlier than predicted the
01:25:02
Commission acknowledged the efforts of
01:25:03
individuals such as CFA volunteer and
01:25:07
captain of the Willing South Fire
01:25:09
Brigade craig wood
01:25:11
throughout Black Saturday wood and his
01:25:14
crew focused on suppression and asset
01:25:17
protection in response to the Churchill
01:25:19
fire at times placing themselves at
01:25:22
great risk they helped to divert the
01:25:25
fire away from Turalyon South and
01:25:27
protected the Luo yang power station
01:25:30
while also safely evacuating a number of
01:25:33
people from Coligny during the day woods
01:25:37
own farm came under threat and was left
01:25:40
unprotected in response to the choice he
01:25:43
faced Wood remarked my task was far
01:25:48
greater than my own farm this he said
01:25:51
was something he kept in the back of his
01:25:54
mind so he could instead quote
01:25:57
concentrate on what you need to do for
01:25:59
the betterment of the larger and broader
01:26:01
community the commission noted mr. wood
01:26:07
and his crew provided just one example
01:26:09
of the courage and generosity of men and
01:26:13
women who fought the fires On February 7
01:26:15
2009
01:26:17
[Music]
01:26:19
despite the timely warning from
01:26:22
Victorian premier John Brumby the day
01:26:24
prior to Black Saturday many Victorians
01:26:27
were not prepared for the ferocity of
01:26:29
the fires and the subsequent trauma was
01:26:32
significant according to a report by The
01:26:36
Herald Sun in the five years following
01:26:39
that catastrophic day there was a rise
01:26:41
in suicides family violence reports
01:26:44
alcohol and drug abuse and addictive
01:26:47
behavior such as gambling amongst the
01:26:49
bushfire survivors many replacement
01:26:53
houses were left in various stages of
01:26:55
construction as residents had run out of
01:26:58
money to see the job to completion and
01:27:00
increased fireproofing had added to the
01:27:03
cost every year on February 7 memorials
01:27:09
are held throughout Victoria to
01:27:11
commemorate the lives lost in the Black
01:27:13
Saturday fires in Churchill locals
01:27:18
gather to pay their respects to the
01:27:20
families and friends of Alfred and Scott
01:27:22
friendo Colin and David Gibson Allan
01:27:26
morose and to Luke Jacobs Nathan Charles
01:27:29
Annette Latham Martin Schulz and
01:27:32
Gertrude Martin
01:27:35
during one such ceremony 12 months after
01:27:38
the blaze the chaplain of Monash
01:27:40
University in Gippsland father Hugh
01:27:43
Brown told the crowd of mourners it
01:27:47
couldn't destroy our memories they can't
01:27:50
destroy our gratitude for the help we
01:27:52
received from so many and it couldn't
01:27:55
destroy our spirits which are strangely
01:27:58
battered and bruised better never
01:28:00
quenched 2009 was a bloody awful year
01:28:05
but we as the song says we'll survive
01:28:09
we won't ever forget the past but we
01:28:12
won't live there either
01:28:14
because we know that out of ashes new
01:28:17
life grows
01:28:26
[Music]
01:28:32
[Music]
01:28:43
you
01:28:43
[Music]