Posted: 01/14/2013 at 6:05am | IP Logged

Hair raising escape credited to prayer.

(Australia)—When a vicious wildfire broke out in the seaside community of Dunalley in Tasmania, Tim Holmes scooped up his five grandchildren, whom he and his wife were babysitting, and shepherded them all into a nearby jetty where they were forced to take shelter for nearly three hours beneath a wooden dock.

Eventually, even the dock was threatened with fire. According to various news sources, Holmes then risked his life to secure a dinghy in which to provide his family with their final escape from the inferno.

"We had water up to our chins and could barely breathe it was so toxic," said Holmes. "Ash and debris left us with very little oxygen." (AP/The Holmes family)

When all was said done, the children were finally reunited with their mother, Bonnie Walker.

Walker, who had dropped her children off to be watched before heading out to a funeral in another town, said that when she heard of the fire consuming Dunalley, told reported that she "prayed like I never prayed before."

"We . . . received a message at 3:30 pm," she said, "that mum and dad had evacuated, that they were surrounded by fire, and could we pray. I spent a lot of time with good friends and prayed . . . and I think those prayers have been answered."

International news agencies have released several remarkable photographs of the family's harrowing escape. Click on the link provided to also watch a video of the family's ordeal.

Source: Jonathan Pearlman – The Telegraph U.K.

Via: BCN Breaking Christian News