Family’s loss

By Tania Martin
TAIS Soubra is picking up the pieces of her shattered life.
She was left with just a bikini and beach towel to her name after the Black Saturday (7 February) fires destroyed her Yarra Glen home.
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel,” Mrs Soubra said.
“I am happy we are all alive but everything I own is gone.”
On that fatal Saturday, Mrs Soubra had left her Monbulk bridal shop shortly after noon to take her daughters swimming.
The trio spent the afternoon at the Seville Swimming Pool in a bid to cool off during the 46-degree heatwave.
They left the pool shortly after 5pm as smoke filled the sky and decided to head home because the smoke was getting thicker.
As they headed up the mountain towards Yarra Glen the trio started to get worried.
“I rang my husband, Alex, and told him to get out of the house … the fire was coming,” Mrs Soubra said.
“But he didn’t believe me because he couldn’t see the smoke.”
Mrs Soubra said their house in Uplands Road had very little view toward the fires.
Mr Soubra then went outside and found the family dogs were getting distressed.
He then saw the smoke and flames heading for the house.
Mr Soubra grabbed the dogs, pulled on a pair of boots and ran for his car.
However, in the mean time, Mrs Soubra was frantically trying to call her husband but was getting no answer.
“I was stressed … freaking out, I didn’t know if he was getting out or if he had stayed,” she said.
“All I could see was smoke on the top of the ridge.”
Mr Soubra was racing down the mountain towards Tais with flames running along the road side.
But he was blocked by a wall of flames and had to turn back.
In the end, Mr Soubra and several others found refugee from the fire at Yering Station.
“He waited it out with 20 other people … it was strange the fire burned around them,” Mrs Soubra said. “I didn’t know if he was dead or alive.”
The Soubras are now attempting to pick up their lives.