Thinking about those affected by the Australian fires

[Fadeaway]

I hope all the Australians here are safe

 

[mumstheword]

Thanks for the kind thoughts @Fadeaway. We are pretty close to an out-of-control bushfire, here, but hopefully we avoid it's path. A couple of days ago were much hairier with lots of smoke everywhere, but the wind changed and it headed in another direction. So far, so good.

 

[blackemerald1]

I'm on the other end of the continent and it's freezing and blowing a gale... I'm closer to where there is snow falling than fires.

However,

I live amongst huge, one hundred year old gum trees and I'm a stones throw from a very large State forest and we've not had anywhere near the average rainfall over last winter nor now in spring. We too are like my countrymen up North and in a terrible drought.

There has been a lot of stuff in the local news about getting ready because our turn is coming. Alerts, warnings, gale force winds... ugh... it's scary. We just need one single idiot to light a fire here and it will be totally on. I think everyone is walking around looking at each other and sizing up what is going on.

I've got a child and a bunch of relatives living on the fringes of those fires so you betcha I'm watching them closely too.

Apparently our fires can be seen from space. Hmm... that gives some perspective doesn't it?

 

[Sideways]

We just need one single idiot to light a fire here and it will be totally on

It's very dry where I am, and a lot of scrub fires are breaking out.

What shits me is the number of fires that have started in the median strips along the main road into the city. Ciggie out the window of a passing car and it just blows up because the conditions are so bad. There's at least a dozen of them over about a 3km stretch of highway.

Every time that happens, a fire truck has to be deployed to put it out. There's 3,000 firies currently working in NSW, and not sure how many in Queensland, but they're exhausted, and we can't spare them for BS spot fires started from cigarette butts.

It's that dangerous here right now. Summer should be awesome.

ETA @blackemerald1 - the satellite pics are devastating - the smoke stretches over 3,000 kms out over the pacific.

 

[Fadeaway]

The images I have seen are just devastating! There is an amazing video of a firetruck driving through a wall of flames. It definitely has me worried for all of you

 

[Freida]

Holy crap I hadn't heard anything about those fires How scary! And so sad :(

 

[blackemerald1]

Oh what! Five people have been arrested for arson already and investigators suspect another seven fires may have been deliberately lit. And another strange person who dressed up as a firefighter? Who does that?? Whew...! I struggle with the concept of arson though I have studied it.

 

[Freida]

wow. Just. wow.

 

[Mee]

I read earlier the impact on wildlife has been pretty horrific, koalas especially. It’s heartbreaking people would add to this deliberately.

 

[Lucycat]

I have friends and family in Australia too. It is really scary seeing the scale of these fires on the news.

 

[blackemerald1]

We are still burning. Our fires have been going since late winter - August.

Today more firefighters were seriously injured, untold houses burned and unknown amounts of fauna and flora lost.

A state of emergency has been declared again - this brings in Federal money, the army and allows certain authorities special powers but nobody with expertise is talking about stopping these fires or mega fire in one case.

We have firefighters and experts from all around the country and overseas. Our own volunteers and professional crews are exhausted but there is no respite in sight.

So far one state, New South Wales has lost 2.7 million hectares or 6,671,845 acres and it's still out of control and jumping containment lines. It's impossible to imagine that big.

There are fires burning in Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory too. Small outbreaks have been jumped on by authorities in South Australia and Victoria.

Tomorrow the temperature in the Southern states will range from mid 40 c (113 f) up to 50 c. We are receiving public service announcements via all forms of media to be fire ready - have a plan. We have not really reached the zenith of summer yet so :wtf: ??

The only way some of these fires will be subdued is through sustained rainfall for many weeks and months.

No rain is predicted.

Bushfires

Edited to add: two of the fire crew who were injured are now confirmed dead.

 

[Sideways]

Yeah, thoughts are with the people caught in the fire lines today, but especially tomorrow and over the weekend. Historical weather records mean absolutely nothing at this point.

Stay safe, leave early, an extra couple of dollars in the rural fire service bucket outside Woolies.