Jacaranda Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I truly hope no more lives are lost...... http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/live-coverage-of-nsw-bushfires-crisis/story-e6frfkp9-1226742126373 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Counting Stars Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Bastard arsonists! I sincerely hope they don't discover they were deliberately set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Will the greenies now remind us why they stop people doing fire prevention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30085 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 It mentioned on the news here that one of the fires was thought to be started by a training exercise by the military using explosives, up near Lithgow. I'm currently trying to get hold of my best friend who lives in the mountains not much further south from Lithgow , praying everyone is ok over in the areas affected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Will the greenies now remind us why they stop people doing fire prevention In what way? what is not allowed? Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 In what way? what is not allowed? Cal x PHOTO: The fire destroyed dozens of cars in the car park next to the Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in Sydney. (AAP: Paul Miller) RELATED STORY: Bushfire warnings across eastern New South Wales MAP: Homebush 2140 Bushfires that destroyed six homes and up to 100 cars across New South Wales have eased slightly, with lower temperatures bringing some relief to firefighters. However, dozens of residents spent the night at an evacuation centre as fires at Port Stephens, north of Newcastle, threatened properties. Five homes were reportedly destroyed there while another may have been lost in a bushfire at Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River. Port Stephens Mayor Bruce MacKenzie said the homes should not have been lost. "We've got a situation today where no one's allowed to burn off," he said. "The RFS (Rural Fire Service), politicians and the greenies have got a lot to bloody answer for because if there's five houses lost it could have been prevented." Firefighters are working throughout the night to control blazes at Salt Ash and Fingal Bay in Port Stephens, fearing a wind change that could turn the fires into the path of properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Thanks Metoo OMG That is ridiculous,, i can only imagine how risky it would be around here without burn offs from the fire brigade and farmers, in rural, semi rural or bushy areas it should be mandatory. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Thanks Metoo OMG That is ridiculous,, i can only imagine how risky it would be around here without burn offs from the fire brigade and farmers, in rural, semi rural or bushy areas it should be mandatory. Cal x heartbreaking to lose your home and maybe your life when it could have been prevented or at least improve the odds in your favour :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 heartbreaking to lose your home and maybe your life when it could have been prevented or at least improve the odds in your favour :mad: Totally agree, it is tragic ,to lose everything must be unbearable, one poor family on the TV yesterday ahd lost their house, possesions and all their pets, so sad to watch. The article you quoted got me intirgued, so i have just been having a read and it seems they do still do Hazard reductions and Burn offs ,they did some in some of the areas affected in this fire but it seems they just get complaints and as the fire officer said ' damned if we, damned if we don't'.. http://www.news.com.au/national-news/nsw-act/the-making-of-a-firestorm-how-hell-began-for-hundreds-of-residents-and-firefighters-across-nsw/story-fnii5s3x-1226742939482 Was there enough hazard reduction done in the years, months, weeks leading up to Thursday's spark? Rogers knows in terms of hazard reductions, the RFS is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't _ such is the emotion around burn-offs which are detested by fringe Green groups who maintain the bush must take care of itself, while threatened homeowners wish a hell of a lot more were done. No-one is satisfied. Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill said his council regularly received complaints during burn-offs from "minority groups'' within his region, and from as far afield as Sydney's inner west who either protest along ideological lines or the fact the fires are covering Sydney in smoke. "There is no doubt the RFS from time to time gets put under pressure by all sorts of people,'' he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melb3000 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 The bush doesn't cause the fires though. Irresponsible people do.... Most of these major bushfires tend to be caused by arsonists, fallen power lines clashing with vegetation on days of very strong winds, activities carried out on days where it shouldn't even be considered in high risk areas, eg. the military exercise that may have caused one of the fires and other human activities. Another major reason is reckless domestic burn offs on days where there is high fire risk. With a lot of these government authorised 'controlled' burns, the focus is on meeting targets for the sake of community appeasement rather than sustainable fuel reduction that helps preserve biodiversity and conservation values in the forests and bush as well as protecting land owners' life and property. In Victoria, after the Black Saturday fires, there was a royal commission that recommended a huge percentage of public land to be burned each year, mostly in order to show the community how 'serious' they were about preventing further catastrophes in future bad fire seasons. What has resulted from this is some rather mad and occasionally reckless burning over the spring and autumn periods, often on days that are not ideal (still high fire risk), and often in areas right out in the wilderness where there are few towns or properties anyway. A lot of this constitutes a desperate attempt to meet the targets set by the commission and not necessarily to protect the community (although this is still the main concern). Whilst I believe 100% in controlled and sustainable fuel reduction burning in settled areas with very high fire risk, the way that this is carried out often leads to entire areas getting choked out with thick smoke (creating serious issues for asthmatics etc.) as well as general unacceptable pollution levels and also the significant loss of biodiversity in the forests, i.e. flora and fauna, as I find around my area that they tend to burn the same areas time and time again, not allowing for any species recovery in between. Around where I live I have noticed a significant reduction in wildflower displays and the diversity of flora since the royal commission recommended drastic burning. Also many iconic animals, eg. koalas, wombats etc. get killed by some of the more intense burn offs that take place. There have already been some disastrous instances where government controlled burns have turned into full blown bushfires. There was one several years ago that wiped out most of Wilsons Promontory and almost reached the busy camping area around Tidal River (that could have lead to significant loss of life). There have been others as well. As I said, controlled fuel reduction burning is an important tool for prevention of loss from bushfires, it's not all cut and dried and a one sided story though. The 'greenies', conservationists, naturalists and people who live in these areas and the nearby cities that enjoy the forests and wildlife have a valid point as well. It's a complex issue and with tragic events like this people tend to lose perspective which is understandable I guess. Many of the people who live in forested mountainous areas like the Blue Mountains and NSW southern highlands do so because they love the forest, the flora and fauna and the aesthetics of these places. Many would not agree with reckless and emotionally driven overkill with respect to controlled burning regimes. The Blue Mountains are world heritage listed thanks to these attributes. It would be a shame to lose that listing in the future because it's all been irrersibly degraded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 It's so sad hope your friend gets in contact soon Adonna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salma Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 It is very scary when close to home and my mother in law lives in the Hawksbury which may be affected . My mother in law has decided to live the property as she cannot fight the fire on her own. Her proprty (fendes) butnt in the 2001/2002 but she had a few people to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 There is lots of smoke around this morning in southern Sydney. We back on to a national park, so I have started to pack a few things in to a suitcase, just in case we need to evacuate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Will the greenies now remind us why they stop people doing fire prevention They don't 'stop fire prevention'. More research required on your part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k8bug79 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 There is lots of smoke around this morning in southern Sydney. We back on to a national park, so I have started to pack a few things in to a suitcase, just in case we need to evacuate. Hope you are OK. We live north of the Georges River in Oatley and the smoke is really bad this morning feared that the Shire might be at risk due to the fire south of the National Park. Hope you stay safe :-( Do you know of any specific incidents? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 My OH said that when he drove over Tom Ugley's bridge this morning it was really bad. We are okay so far. My friends husband works for the fire service, and thinks it may be a case of when, rather than if. We back on to bush, so I just have to be prepared. If you have a look here http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/dsp_content.cfm?cat_id=683 it will tell you where the current fires are. There is a small fire down towards Otford, right at the bottom of the RNP, but it is fairly small I think. Who knows what is going to happen over the next couple of days. What's more worrying is that it is only October, and we have the remainder of the spring and the summer to get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k8bug79 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Glad you are safe so far. We are near a Bush Fire Prone area but not so close it worries us. Hope it stays safe for you and when/ if it comes to evacuation you and yours stay safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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