Australians - heat and fire

[Miss Chicken]

How hot is it where you are, and are fires burning near you?

Today has been the hottest day ever in Hobart.

There are large fires burning in Tasmania, The worse in the Dunnalley area where houses have been lost. No deaths or injuries reported.

The Arthur Highway is closed so no-one can get out of the Tasman Peninsula. If people from the Peninsula want to evacuate they have to travel further south down the Peninsula to a refuge at Nubeena. I am not sure what is happening to any tourists visiting Port Arthur.

There are three other refuges that have been set up in Southern Tasmania (one at New Norfolk, one at Sorell, and I am not sure where the other is.

[teacake]

41C, 106F.

Steamy.

No A/C LOL.

But I remember far hotter days.

[Miss Chicken]

I don't have air-conditioning either. My house is very hot and I won't be able to go outside when it cools because their is too much smoke around.

There has been several different temperatures given for max in Hobart today - 40.9, 41.3, 41.8 and 42 - so I am not sure which one is correct

I did here that just before the fire front went through at Dunalley a temperature of 54C was recorded. Usually weather station don't survive fires going through so they are saying that this is an important reading as it shows the temperatures that fire fighters have to work in.

[teacake]

The worst I've had is 47C a few years back, over 116F. Just moving your bare arm through the air made it feel like it was on fire. It makes these 40 degree days kind of normal. We usually have between 40 and 42 at some point in the summer.

My house takes a long time to warm up, it's about even with the outside now. Cool change is coming after 9pm. I don't mind the whole steamy effect, I usually enjoy it as long as there are no fires. I've never had air conditioning anywhere I've lived.

[Miss Chicken]

The hottest temperature I have ever experience was 45 degrees at Coolgardie many years ago. That was a much drier heat and more bearable than 40 degrees in Hobart.

My house heats up very quickly because it has so many large windows.

Boats have left Hobart heading to Nubeena to evacuate about 200 people who are stranded there. It seems that most of them are tourists who were visiting Port Arthur.

Another large fire is burning at Bicheno.

[ElimParra]

Experienced days of 45c. Not fun.

Today was hot. Had a fan going at mum's place. Now i'm in the city, and seems cooler, but i'm in the a/c of melb central - until I head to dinner later. Was rather lazy earlier, and caught a bus instead walking to the train station.

I heard about some fires in rural parts of Victoria.

[teacake]

I'm just waiting for the trains to collapse. I'll be in the city every day for a week starting tomorrow and if I end up on replacement buses I will cry. Why the tracks buckle in 42 degree heat when they have trains going from Adelaide to Darwin with the rails getting to 50 I do not understand.

Miss Chicken I see a school has burned down in Tassie.

[Miss Chicken]

They are saying that a school, a petrol station and houses have been lost at Dunalley and houses at Copping. It is all bit sketchy and I don't think anything has been confirmed.

[teacake]

Melbourne was always a dry heat but for the last 5+ years it's been often very humid when at the hottest. I've gone from hating that to enjoying it, kind of cools you off walking around with damp skin.

[Miss Chicken]

From the Tasmanian Fire Service

Inala Road, FORCETT

Alert Level: EMERGENCY WARNING
Type: Vegetation Fire
Last Updated: 04-Jan-2013 18:12
First Reported: 03-Jan-2013 14:13
Location: Inala Road, FORCETT
Status: Going
Agency: Tasmania Fire Service
Size: Approximately 1,006 ha

BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY WARNING MESSAGE


Inala Road, FORCETT
201651


Current from: 04/01/2013 05:55 PM until: 06/01/2013 08:30 PM or further notice


There is a large bushfire between White Hills Road, Forcett, Copping and Dunalley .

The fire danger rating in this area is extreme . Fire under these conditions will be uncontrollable, unpredicitable and move quickly.

The communities from Dunalley, Primrose Sands, Murdunna, Sommers Bay, Eagle Hawk Neck, Doo Town and surrounds are being impacted by fire NOW. Embers are now falling on this area.

The fire is now also impacting the community of Connellys Marsh and it is too late to leave. Your Nearby Safer Place has been identified as the beach at Connellys Marsh.

People still in the Primrose Sands area need to remain in place. Carlton River Road is now inpassable and not safe. Your Nearby Safer Place has been identified as the beach at Primrose Sands.

This bushfire is currently not controlled.

Area will be affected by fire, smoke and ash.

This bushfire is currently creating fires ahead of the main fire front. These spot fires may threaten your home earlier than the predicted main fire front.

There will be embers, smoke and ash falling on Dunalley, Primrose Sands, Murdunna, Sommers Bay, Eaglehawk Neck, Taranna, Doo Town and surrounds before the fire front arrives.

Reported Road Closures:

Arthur Highway from Old Forcett Road to Eaglehawk Neck, Fulham Road, Sugarloaf Road are closed.
What to do:
Activate your bushfire plan now.

The beach at Primrose Sands has been identified as a Nearby Safer Place. There may not be any emergency service personnal there for assistance.

Only well constructed, prepared and actively defended homes may provide shelter today.
LEAVING IS YOUR SAFEST OPTION. It is too late to leave the Tasman Peninsula below Dunalley. People should move south down the peninsula away from the fire towards Nubeena.

If you don’t have a plan or your plan is to leave – leave now only if the path is clear.

[teacake]

I had trouble reading that. I've lost people I've known in the last bad bushfires. I hope everyone gets out safely.

[Miss Chicken]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I am a bit concerned about the bushfire at Bicheno as I have a friend up there. However I know she is sensible enough to know what to do. She is north of Bicheno and the fires are south of the town

There is a large bushfire at Tasman Highway, BICHENO .

The fire danger rating in this area is forecast to be severe . Fire under these conditions will be uncontrollable and move quickly.

The fire is expected to put the area of Butlers Point, Courland Bay properties, Friendly Beaches and Harvey's Farm Road at direct severe risk from the fire front within 2 hours

This bushfire is currently not controlled.

Expect embers to be blown around.

This bushfire is currently creating spot-fires up to 400m ahead.These spot fires may threaten your home earlier than the predicted main fire front.

There may be embers, smoke and ash falling on South of Bicheno toward Friendly Beaches .

Reported Road Closures: Friendly Beaches Road, Courland Bay Road, Tar Hill Fire Trail and Harvey's Farm Road .

[Miss Chicken]

and the third big fire which is in the Central Highlands.

There is a large bushfire at Dawson Road, LAKE REPULSE .

The fire danger rating in this area is extreme . Fire under these conditions will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving.

The fire is expected to put the area of Ellendale, Gretna, Hamilton, Ouse and Meadowbank at direct extreme risk from the fire front within 1 hours . You must leave now only if the path is clear. The residents of the communities of Hamilton, Ouse and Meadowbank are encouraged to travel north to the Community Fire Refuge at Ouse Community Hall on the Lyell Highway. Residents of the community of Gretna should travel south away to friends or relative or a Nearby Safer Place as identified in your bushfire plan.

A new fire has started at Meadowbank Lake. The fire has crossed Ellendale Road and is moving rapidly in a south easterly direction. Houses are under threat in the Jones River Road area and it is anticipated that houses will be under threat in the Rockmount Road area within the next 2 hours.

This bushfire is currently not controlled.

Communities will be affected by smoke and ash.

Spot fires will move quickly and come from many directions. These spot fires may threaten your home earlier than the predicted main fire front.

This bushfire is currently creating small fires ahead of the main fire front.

There may be embers, smoke and ash falling on Fentonbury, National Park & Westerway.

A cool charge is expected around midnight (about 5 hours away).

[Orac Zen]

^
I'm hoping it arrives sooner and that in the meantime, things will be controlled as soon as possible.


After a couple of pleasantly mild summers we seem to have reverted to ugliness here. Very ordinary today - peaked around 35 degrees and worse, it was windy for most of the day. A fire around 20-25 minutes' drive from here is apparently under control. Any fire anywhere is not something I ever want to hear about, though. Too many tragedies, too many mistakes repeated and lessons not learned from those tragedies.

As ever at this time of year I worry about some halfwit tourist throwing a cigarette butt out a car window, or deciding they want to have a barbeque in the "bush", or something equally imbecilic. Not to mention scum-of-the-earth arsonists.

Summer sucks. I can't wait for it to be over.

[Miss Chicken]

The fire in the Central Highlands is believe to have started from a campfire.

65 buildings are now believed to have destroyed in Dunalley and Boomer Bay. 50 people are waiting on the beach at Boomer Bay ready to be evacuated. They are not in any danger. There is one unconfirmed death in Dunalley.

The fire is starting to travel down the Tasman Peninsula.

There are 600 people in the refuge at Nubeena.