It's not so good. 130 plus killed (expected to top 230), 750 homes destroyed... We're unaffected here in South Australia, but the fire front came within 750 metres of my wifes' parents home. No damage or loss to them, thankfully. And to think the fires were deliberately lit. Whoever did it better pray that the police find them first....
Heard them mention this briefly on tv this morning - really bad that. Good thing my brother moved away from that area last year. Really shocking it was deliberate, tools.
Amazing stuff, how fast does a fire have to move to catch you in your car as your evacing? Sad though... I sure as hell would never want to be near anything like that... and anyone who survives something like that deserves a medal or something (especially those firefighters, heroes they be)
How much more South can you get than Victoria?!?! I think you'll find the point is that it was so hot, they were combusting. My friend is in that sort of area, fortunately just outside the "blast zone" and is OK. I hope everyone on here is OK, and their friends and families.
How come? I mean it's winter in the UK and the whole of the northern hemisphere is where normally we get cold, wintry weather (e.g, snow). It's the opposite in the southern hemisphere, i.e. Australia and New Zealand, where traditionally they get hotter, drier weather in December to February as it's their summer! Australia is a vast country with extreme diversity and climate. Some areas of Australia are incredibly hot and arid. Some of the Worlds largest deserts are in Australia. If we suddenly had incredibly hot winters with the risk of forest fires, and the parts of Australia, like Alice Springs started experiencing snow blizzards throughout the summer, now THAT would be erratic! We are just experiencing large amounts of what generally happens in these seasons. Winters used to be like this, we've been enjoying pretty mild winters for about 2 decades. Some of us are old enough to remember what winter used to be like each year. Anyway, I am saddened by the events in Australia. I initially thought this was a disaster, but to hear the fires may have been deliberate is awful. Mass murder.
In the office I work in, one persons brother had his house burn to the ground, when they went back to look at the damage all that was left was the pool. Another persons mother had to leave her house due to the typhoon and flooding that north queensland had.
Fires aren't that straight forward. There's a fire front, but the embers can ignite fires up to 3 km in front of the front (what they call "ember attack"). People also forget that getting in your car and driving off is difficult because the smoke is so thick, like the thickest fog, and there are downed trees and power lines everywhere. It's why the fire authority here basically says that you need to make the decision to evacuate early, and once you've made the decision to stay, you stay. Getting caught on the roads isn't an option... We had our house caught in a bushfire about 24 years ago, and it all happens so fast. Preparation is the key, and luck plays a big part.
We reading how a man went in to get something from his house, came out to see his car engulfed in flames, his children burning to death inside. Moments like that make me more of an atheist than anything.
reading about that in the paper today. Unbelievable. I was disgusted that the grammys got the front page over this. Screw the grammys
There were (unconfirmed) reports of fire fronts moving in excess of 120kph. Considering that the highway speedlimit here in Australia is 110kph (~80mph), that's scary anyway you put it. Tasmania. It's ok, I think they even left us off of the Sydney 2000 Olympic medals. I do find it hard to comprehend how Victoria is experiencing the worst Australian bushfires on record, whilst places in Queensland have experienced more than 1000mm (~40 inches) of rain in the past week. But all said and done, it is a terrible, terrible tragedy. If anybody feels that they are able to spare some money to aid those affected, donations can be made through the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. I'm not trying to solicit donations, just putting a link up in case anyone wants to and doesn't know how. Also, any Australians reading this, please consider taking the time to donate blood, it's very easy and if you're a first time donor it will only take approximately 1 hour. I'm sure that if you ask your boss nicely they'll be more than happy to give you an extended lunch break to do so, they may even come along too. Either visit the Australian Red Cross Blood Service or ring 13 14 95 for your nearest donation centre. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
