WannabeeFishing Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hazmail. The fires in Australia have made the news here. The reports are devastating. We had a number of wildfires here in the Southeast US last summer and on the west coast, but with nowhere near the loss of life. I hope all your family and associates are doing well during all this. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) Thanks Gary, it's not over yet, it's warming up again and there are a couple of big ones (of about 30) on the move again. They sent 100 fire-fighters from here on Sunday and another 100 to relieve them today, I'm too old for that stuff. So far 1036 houses gone, and they say now, deaths will be close to 300, most caught in their cars, trying to get away. I/we really appreciate your sympathy.pete Edited February 11, 2009 by hazmail edit text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Pete, I'm not sure if everyone realizes that Australia is experiencing its worst drought in a century, while flooding is sweeping through the northern state of Queensland. Have the fires remained limited to Victoria state or have they spread? I also saw a report that claimed Australian police suspect that some of the 400 bushfires were caused by arson. If they can find those responsible, I hope they are charged for the murders and destruction caused. We'll keep you in our prayers. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) Bruce -I will try and paint a picture, sorry for the late reply, I thought I would be called back to work, but things have quietened down a bit now. Currently the fires are mainly limited to Victoria, down to about 30 now, and are about 100 miles N. of Melbourne (Pop 3 million). The temperature has dropped down to 18-20 deg C , and some rain (from 45 – 47C last week), which has given the F/F crews a chance to isolate most of the fires. From my experience here, there may be some problems early next week, when the hot weather returns, the wind has swung around to the S.E and picking up, this is directly opposite to the normal hot N.W winds this time of year. As it was here in 2003 (Canberra), they are forced to back burn on what is the normally the windward side of the fire, when the wind swings back to the prevailing N.W, you usually finish up with 2 or more fires heading straight back along the flanks to where it came from. East of this area is even worse country, where there are forests of Mountain Ash which get to 200-250' high with a lot of under growth, these fires fire really get going in this. The weather conditions would be the same experienced by the Californians in the past years, except the wind direction is in reverse – like a slow moving nuclear explosion. This area is notorious for big fires, and has a long history of tragedies, it is very rough country, wilderness which stretches from here (Canberra) to Melbourne, an area about 700 miles long by about 200 wide (mainly national parks) and would be similar to the foothills of the Rockies on the Californian side, lots of steep valleys, Radiata Pine plantations, with small hamlets (old gold mining towns) and farms scattered through it. These small towns are a problem, as most only have one road through them, which is where a lot of people have perished trying to drive out through the fire. With winds at above 60mph on the day there would have been tress down everywhere blocking the roads to exit, and F/F getting in, so a lot of these little towns were left to their own devices. The town of Marysville (pop about 500) was left with one house standing and 100 dead - another town Flowerdale, was evacuated, and lost 90% of the homes, about 8 guys holed up at the local hotel, and fought the fire with not much equipment, the hotel survived it !! I have never been to either of these places, but they say they were beautiful little towns, as many are in Victoria, in the foothills of the mountains. Some of the fires down there were started by lightning, but as it was here, there were the usual thrill seekers (fire bugs) involved, they are on the trail of one down there, and have descriptions and car details, but he would be one of many. After the fires around here in 2003 the number grass/bush fires have dropped by about 90%, I think the bugs realised how devastating their nasty work can be, although the big fires (3) here at that time were started by three lightning strikes. These 3 fires joined into one in the mountains West of here, and over about 3 days were blown straight into the city edge. Beside the human cost, property loss is being estimated at about $200 billion today, and about 1 in 4 are not insured, with the fire history down there this is hard to believe. There are also concerns about Melbourne's water supply as when it rains all these now baked bare valleys will silt up and pollute the dams. About 186 deaths (expect nearer 250 -300) and 1036 homes lost, and they are still cutting their way in and finding little hamlets like Flowerdale, wiped out.pete Edited February 11, 2009 by hazmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Pete, I have a friend in Newcastle that has been keeping me posted on the situation down there. He claims that the "Greenies" (environmentalists I assume), are to blame for the towns being so vulnerable to the fire storms. Without being allowed to clear dead wood/brush from certain areas, it has allowed the fires to come right up to the inhabited areas. We are praying and keeping our fingers crossed for everyone in Oz. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Hi George- I am not sure about that, but it would probably have a bit to do with it, a lot of the people living there would be that way inclined, which is not a problem, but as many are probably realising, it's not a utopian world we live in. I do know from my experience here, that a year before the big fire (2003), we had a bad one come right up to the suburbs (a lake stopped it) and it just missed a large pine forest - we recommended that the pine forest be removed, so the residents adjacent to the forest came out of the woodwork protesting, so nothing happened ...... a year later nearly to the day this forest was involved in a the huge fire that hit here, there were 4 people lost and about 400 of the total 606 homes burned were in that same suburb- They called themselves "Friend s Of The Duffy Pines Association"... We haven't heard a peep from them since that day, except under another name, when they initially blamed the fire services, government etc, for their losses - 25% of them were not insured either. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWW36 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 We've being kept updated on the news here everyday, some of the footage, especially the personal video footage is harrowing to say the least, Some of it looks like a vision of hell ! I was truly upset listening to the stories of people losses, I dont have enemies, but if I did I wouldnt wish that on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 It maybe its time for some help from above... Evergreen International's Boeing 747 Fire Fighter or the US Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) I checked and Australia flies the Lockheed C-130 Hercules that the MAFFS was designed for. MAFFS 2 is the next-generation roll-on, roll-off firefighting system designed to air-drop fire-retardant chemicals used in fighting forest fires. MAFFS 2 is an integral tool for battling large wildfires. Any time there are such difficult areas with large bush fires like the US West Coast, Australia, Spain, France, etc., it would be great to see these types of systems deployed where they are needed, when they are needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hi Bruce, thanks for those pictures, I would like to see that Jumbo loading up, it would carry about 150 ton of water. We don't use planes much here, I don't know why, maybe problems with distance to large bodies of water, and probably the cost. The government leases about 6-8 of those Erickson air cranes from Canada (I think), and sends them all over the country , where needed, they carry 8 tons, they also use a lot of smaller choppers, down to about .5 ton, which are useless. Biggest problem with the air cranes is the rate at which they drop the water, it usually does more damage to a house than the fire - I saw one a few years back empty a swimming pool in about 30 seconds, and blast the hell out of the house, and the owners, they were not impressed. They caught and charged a guy with arson yesterday. He is accused of lighting the fire near a place called Churchill Vic, where 21 people were killed - 1800 houses gone now, dead about 200. pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hanging would be too good. They should lock him in a room with half a dozen survivors once a week for the rest of his life. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith combs Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Vodkaman, that would be to nice on him ! Hazmail, our prayers are with ever body in harms way and with the survivors left to put the pieces back together. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
