Australia Fires

I've just come back from Australia. It was very hot, but it usually is that time of year. I was about half an hour drive from the Cudlee Creek fires which seem to be the worst of the Adelaide Hills fires.

Bushfires are a part of life over there, especially South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales where it seems to be every year. It is known as the bushfire season over there after all.

It did seem a lot more widespread though this time around. I remember Ash Wednesday bushfires in the 80's (75 dead - one of the fires started about 50 metres from my house but travelled in the opposite direction), I was in the UK for the Black Saturday bushfires ten years ago (178 dead).

I think you need to look at climate and the science behind it. My dad says that temperatures are no worse than they were when he was a kid but I don't think you can rule it out.

But there will.be other reasons to look at as well. Arson is a factor in some fires, controlled burning and control of forest areas is more restricted than it was.

In places like Mallacoota where people gathered on the beach, many were advised to leave but refused.
 
Are you a mod on here? You did me a favour yesterday but come on lad you cannot speak to guys with a genuine reason for their post on here like that. Just saying.
Speaking to him like what? Just pointing out that as the population has gone from about 500K in 1800 to 25m today comparisons in terms of the human cost of bushfire over that time don't really help.
 
Speaking to him like what? Just pointing out that as the population has gone from about 500K in 1800 to 25m today comparisons in terms of the human cost of bushfire over that time don't really help.

Swiss cheese and I are just having a discussion, done nothing wrong in my view. I like seeing others point of view and highlighting things I may not have even considered / missed
 
Major bushfires in Australia

1920s: 1
1930s: 1
1940s: 1
1950s: 0
1960s: 2
1970s: 0
1980s: 2
1990s: 6
2000s: 12
2010s: 20 +

To say it is the circle of life isn't correct, based on records the numbers are increasing year on year.
Absolutely. But your original question was why don't we have a thread. My original answer stands, even though most of my family live there and my father in law has lost a gum tree in his back yard this week. Shit happens. They also get floods and droughts.
 
Considering the last time this many people died in an Australian bushfire was 1967 I'd hardly say this is the circle of life.
Black Saturday fires in 2009 had 173 fatalities. The death toll this December/January is currently 19, I think most are expecting fires to continue through January though.
 
In 1991 i was working at a kids activity centre 30 mins from Bowral, NSW on a road 22 KM long at the top of a ridge called Tugalong Road in Canyonleigh.
Half way along this road (first half proper road second half dirt track) was an old fire engine.
Every Tuesday all the neighbours would go to the engine and we all had specific tasks, checking oil, water, tyres etc to make aure it was in good working order if a fire developed.
My colleagues were fearful saying they hadnt had one in 10 summers. Thankfully my time there (Oct 91 to March 92) was fire free.
 
The fires have got worse since the green party have become more vocal on land management apparently. Controled burns that used to happen in areas are no longer permited. The result is a meter or so in height of thick growth all between the taller trees which was once less overgrown with vegetation or similar extra growth. Huge areas are like this and when it gets dry these small bushes go up that did not used to be there. The aussies call it "fuel load increase" and this is as bad as it has ever got according to many a comment .

In many areas locked gates have been installed to with bollards to the side for a good distance. So if a fire truck needs to access one of these roads into the bush they can't.

It seems some misguided efforts have actually caused the exact effect they wanted to avoid in this case though.

Add that to a long dry spring and you have a good mix for trouble.

Source: People who live in Australia.
 

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