A 31 year old man has been charged with leaving his campfire unattended which lead to the Lake Repulse fire. The Bicheno fire was started by a lightning strike. The Forcett (Dunalley fire) was started by a smoldering tree stump. Locals thought the fire had been put out days before the big fire but it seems that the was still slow burning in the root system which flared up. So no intentionally lit fire at all.
Just read this - The temperature at Bega in NSW has risen from 22 degrees at 8am to 38 degrees just after 9am.
It's been a horrible day here. As I type the temperature is still around 30 C and the day-long high wind has, if anything, picked up over the last hour or so. There are currently around 140 fires burning across NSW, including one much closer to home than I ever want to see. We're not in any immediate danger here but knowing that people I know and places I've been to are under threat, and that people I know have been out there all day trying to deal with a fire in these appalling conditions is...yeah. Several of these fires were deliberately lit. If there's a lower form of life than a person who would even consider deliberately lighting a fire in the sorts of conditions we're presently experiencing, I don't want to know what it might be. I'd like to see all their possessions gathered together and torched. I wonder how much they'd like that. marillion, you of all people here know what we're up against in this country just now. I'd like to be able to answer your question in an intelligent manner, but I cant, so I'll just thank you for the good thoughts. Things have deteriorated again in Tasmania and Victoria has also been badly affected. None of this is going to go away any time soon. Summer? You (general you) can have it.
In Tasmania, the problem is that a cold front is coming through. That sounds good but the problems is high winds came before it - whipping the fires up again. Earlier in the day a convoy of cars, caravans etc were escorted by police out of the the Peninsula. Most of them were tourists who had been trapped at Nubeena and Port Arthur. A second convoy was meant to make the trip but it was forced to go back when the fires flared up again. My friend Janet found her three horses, safe but very spooked. They had been waterbombed by helicopters. Now Janet's father's place - up the North West Coast near Montumana is under threat. Her elderly father has been evacuated but his much younger wife has unwisely decided to stay behind and defend the home.
You know it's bad when Beeb 1 give it a prime news slot. The Aussie PM was all over the news like a rash last night. Stay safe everyone.
And now it is 17c here ! This was a quite a story and photo (happy ending, everyone safe) http://www.smh.com.au/environment/family-take-refuge-from-flames-in-sea-20130108-2cdts.html
I earlier today that there were some fires in the nowra region. Hopeful tomorrow i'll find out more. Am defiemtly sick of this hot weather. Hopefully I can get soome sleep, as it feels like i'm in a sauna at the moment.
I'm glad it's getting the attention it deserves. Perhaps our reporting on Australian matters isn't as bad as I thought it was?
we're currently experiencing a minor flood. A pity weather can't be distributed more evenly. I'm glad all of you are ok. How about the wildlife? The faster animals will presumably have suffered little, but what about slow species like Koalas?
Luckily, as least as far as these fires go, there are no koalas in Tasmania but other wildlife has been affected. Rest of story here Bonorong Wildlife Park is taking in wildlife. I am not sure about the Tasmanian Devil Park as they are in the fire region.
People might be interested in Australia's temperature records Hottest days on record State by state: NSW: 49.7C, Menindee, January 10, 1939 ACT: 42.2C, Canberra, February 1, 1968 NT: 48.3C, Finke, January 1, 1960 SA: 50.7C, Oodnadatta, January 2, 1960 Qld: 49.5C, Birdsville, December 24, 1972 Tas: 42.2C, Scamander, January 30, 2009 WA: 50.5C, Mardie, February 19, 1998 Vic: 48.8C, Hopetoun, February 7, 2009 Capital cities: Sydney: 45.3C, January 14, 1939 Canberra: 42.2C, February 1, 1968 Darwin: 40.5C, October 17, 1892 Adelaide: 47.6C, January 12, 1939 Brisbane: 43.2C, January 26, 1940 Hobart: 41.8C, January 4, 2013 Perth: 46.2C, February 23, 1991 Melbourne: 46.4C, February 7, 2009
I hear you on that one. We got a ton of rain in the Northeast US last year, capped off by Hurricane Sandy. The ground is constantly squishy and spongy. Yet there were many parts of the country that had severe droughts to the point were crops and livestock died.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...of-fire-by-clinging-to-jetty-for-3-hours?lite Dunalley Tasmania: "As "tornadoes of fire" roared toward their home, the Holmes family fled and then jumped into the sea, clinging to a jetty for three hours to escape wildfires that have devastated Australia."
Hottest I've ever experienced was 117 in Death Valley. Felt like I opened the oven to check on a roast, the wind felt like hot fingers against my legs. Isn't 50 C more or less equivalent to 120 F?