Bushfires in Australia

[Ron King]

South Eastern coast of Australia has multiple large areas burning.
many towns cut of from supplies and many more under threat.
So many people have lost homes and sheds.
everyone is being affected in some way.
The other night at home it became hard to breath because of smoke out side and the fire were at least 5 km away.( how asthmatics get on I don't know)
Traffic and people on X mas holiday trying to get home back to the city after highways have been reopened and then closed again makes traveling difficult
These fires have been so extensive and hot the wild life is gone......they had no where to hide.
Burnt bird feathers rain down with the ash and embers of these fires.
Farmers stock in animals and any stored feed.....gone
In Nowra the other day here at 4.00pm in a summers day , it was pitch black , like night time , because of smoke blocking out the sun light.
I have had to keep a ember watch at my workshop at South Nowra for a few nights as live embers were getting in side though the roof vents.
Many houses lost near by.
I had to leave my home once in west Nowra......Ok now.
Tomorrow going to help a friend to defend his place as it will be most likely under threat.
Roads get closed by fallen trees.(40c plus heat doesn't help working out doors clearing trees or fighting fires)
These fires are making their own lightening storms and clouds which drop a light mist of moisture with embers and ash.
The fire storms also create their own air drafts and feed themselves and become unpredictable and on it goes.
I have seen this first hand
After many years in rural Fire service ( I am now not current) I have never seen any thing like this.
Its so dry, fire breaks are not working and aircraft only are able to stop or slow the fires near threatened homes and property.
Some fires are spotting 20kms away
Its not going to stop until we get a good dump of rain and that's not happening soon.

[Wayne Hingley]

The footage on the news and firsthand accounts told here are devastating. I hope the rain comes soon. Stay safe everyone.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Ron King

After many years in Rural Fire Service..., I have never seen any thing like this.

Almost universally up and down the Eastern States, our hats go off and our hearts go out to the thousands of volunteer firefighters who have been fighting these fires for over 3 months in conditions that are hot work just standing still, and Summer has only just begun.

The volunteers range in age from 18 to some in their 70's. For many of the younger volunteers, this is their first experience of catastrophic fire conditions, and they will be relying heavily on the guidance of more experienced firefighters. For many experienced volunteers, including those with several generations of family members being involved over many decades (you know who I am talking about, Ron ), that guidance can be limited as these fires are unprecedented in their ferocity and extent, and there is no learned knowledge in how to combat them.

It's been said often enough before, but after these fires are over there needs to be a comprehensive reassessment of land management practices in bushland and forested areas to reduce the extent and intensity of future outbreaks. It is hardly "best practice" Conservation strategies if all the native fauna for hundreds of kilometres are incinerated, taking decades to recover, if ever at all.

[Ron King]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

(you know who I am talking about, Ron )

thanks..……..time flys its now 18 years ago

Ron

[hrpearce]

The Dunn's road fire that is in our area was started by lightning hitting a pine block that has been thinned so plenty of branch litter to get it going. Then the wind blew it over containment lines and it made a 40 Km run over night and has been spreading ever since. It has now burnt more than 130000 ha and I just heard it is heading our way tonight, hopefully it gets there before the next wind event.

[Howard]

Some Photos from the Dunn's Rd Fire
Dunns01.jpg Dunns02.jpg Dunns03.jpg Dunns04.jpg

[Howard]

Dunns05.jpg Dunns06.jpg Dunns07.jpg

[Howard]

And.. The perils of working at night...
Dunns08.jpg Dunns09.jpg
Dunns10.jpg Dunns11.jpg
(Everyone including the machine is OK...)

[jack neville]

Originally Posted by Howard

Attachment 111230 Attachment 111231 Attachment 111232

No chance you would have to worry about finding anyone chained to your bulldozer at present Howard.
Not a greenie in sight in the current climate.