Off Topic Australia on fire

Very scary. Just spoke to a mate of mine, who's mum lives in Gippsland in the high country surrounded by fires. She has been told, the long term forecast is for no significant rain for 4 months. All they can do is try and control the fire and let it burn itself out. She and her neighbors won't be having a great Christmas. Stay safe everyone.
 
Yesterday I got a call that the fire was coming at us again NOW. A big area of forest went up just across the creek from me. I went out patrolling for spot fires in the area. Everyone's properties are connected by unlocked gates, so you can drive around huge areas of private land here across paddocks and through the bush.

I sat on this hill on a neighbour's place. He's an RFS (rural fire service) guy, but he was by himself, so I went to help him defend his place (and therefore mine, which was a couple of properties behind). All the hills in the background are alight, though the smoke makes it hard to see.

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Here are some firies and locals heading into the fire. I saw maybe 5 fire trucks and about 15 locals with utes and water tanks heading into that area to help their friends and neighbours defend their houses. They saved a young family's house just inside those trees. You can see a big area of grass that is already burnt from a spot fire.

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I watched for spot fires for about 5 or 6 hours, until the sun set and things died down. Lived to fight another day!

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Currawong said:
Yesterday I got a call that the fire was coming at us again NOW. A big area of forest went up just across the creek from me. I went out patrolling for spot fires in the area. Everyone's properties are connected by unlocked gates, so you can drive around huge areas of private land here across paddocks and through the bush.

I sat on this hill on a neighbour's place. He's an RFS (rural fire service) guy, but he was by himself, so I went to help him defend his place (and therefore mine, which was a couple of properties behind). All the hills in the background are alight, though the smoke makes it hard to see.

f22.jpg


Here are some firies and locals heading into the fire. I saw maybe 5 fire trucks and about 15 locals with utes and water tanks heading into that area to help their friends and neighbours defend their houses. They saved a young family's house just inside those trees. You can see a big area of grass that is already burnt from a spot fire.

f23.jpg


I watched for spot fires for about 5 or 6 hours, until the sun set and things died down. Lived to fight another day!

f24.jpg
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Not much of a Christmas for you mate. But one thing that does come to the fore in these times of crisis, is the help and support that friends and neighbors show for one another. Stay safe mate, and i hope you can have some sort of Christmas with family and friends. You and everyone in your situation are in my thoughts and prayers.
 
I'm thinking you need to check in on a daily basis Currawong to let us know all is still good for you man. I can't tell you how rattling those photos are so Keep the hog barn up to speed so we don't worry too much- I really don't know how you folks can sleep because it's not like the fire goes to sleep to rest and gets up with you in the morning to start the days work.... scary as hell. I can feel for you a little bit remembering when we had a rash of tornadoes a few years back - You know it's out there somewhere and if it's coming your way there's not a damn thing you can do about it. It's at that point when you truly understand the power of nature and how insignificant and powerless we can all become in an instant.
 
Just a quick update.

Yesterday (New Years Eve 2019) fire went through a bunch of communities in southern NSW and eastern VIC. Hundreds of homes and businesses lost. Two people died. Thousands of people spent the night at evacuation centres. Parents were posting on facebook pages asking if anyone knew where to find food as their children were hungry. All power, phone and internet went out. All road access to several towns cut so no one could get in or out.

Terrible end to the year for many. Here's to a better 2020.
 
Currawong said:
Just a quick update.

Yesterday (New Years Eve 2019) fire went through a bunch of communities in southern NSW and eastern VIC. Hundreds of homes and businesses lost. Two people died. Thousands of people spent the night at evacuation centres. Parents were posting on facebook pages asking if anyone knew where to find food as their children were hungry. All power, phone and internet went out. All road access to several towns cut so no one could get in or out.

Terrible end to the year for many. Here's to a better 2020.
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Yes, i know a bloke from my gym, he grew up in Gippsland at Bruthen and his mum still lives there. He was very worried yesterday morning, did not see him this morning, and Bruthen was evacuated yesterday before the fire went through. I just hope she has escaped with no or minimal loss.
 
Saw these pics the other day, no lens filter, that’s what it actually looks like right now because of the fires...so crazy
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This is kind of reminding me of the fires in Greece a year and a half ago where the people were chased into the sea in the middle if the night. I have a friend who lives in the outskirts of Athens where this happened. The fire came within a block or 2 of his house and the winds turned the fire that then whipped to the coast burning everything in it's path pushing people into the water. It is amazing what the media is focusing on when there needs to be an international effort to help. Yes, I know it's a long way to go, but what does that matter at a time like this? I'm disappointed in the response from abroad or at least in the lack of reporting on it if there has been some steps taken.
 
Yes for many many Aussies this is a horrific reality just now, I am at a loss to describe some of the scenes that have appeared here. I am lucky that we are not directly impacted here at home, but everyone seems know someone who is. The video from the Fire and Rescue Truck was taken about 15mins from a friend's holiday home, he and his family are still there, OK but shaken. I saw the interview with the Firey that filmed it. There were six trucks on that stretch of road, all were rendered immobile by those flames. The crew shown had to bail out back up the road and jump on a passing water tanker and into a media vehicle. Amazing that so far the loss of life has not been greater than what it has.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
Yes for many many Aussies this is a horrific reality just now, I am at a loss to describe some of the scenes that have appeared here. I am lucky that we are not directly impacted here at home, but everyone seems know someone who is. The video from the Fire and Rescue Truck was taken about 15mins from a friend's holiday home, he and his family are still there, OK but shaken. I saw the interview with the Firey that filmed it. There were six trucks on that stretch of road, all were rendered immobile by those flames. The crew shown had to bail out back up the road and jump on a passing water tanker and into a media vehicle. Amazing that so far the loss of life has not been greater than what it has.
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You are right about the loss of life not being more than it is. But i went and helped after the 2009 bushfires in Victoria, and one thing that can never be counted or added up, is the phychological damage and scarring that these people will carry for life. For those that decide to stay and rebuild, they will go into meltdown on any hot and windy day for the rest of their lives and i find that really sad.
 
The weather is predicted to be worse this Saturday than it was on NYE. And this time the fire has spread behind all the coastal towns and villages in the region and is on their doorstep. So it's possible that NYE was just the warm-up to the main apocalyptic event on Saturday. Everyone is preparing for the worst. Currently underway is the largest evacuation in the region in history. Stay safe !!!
 
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