Stay safe
Ummmn....fire
- Thread starter Shannow
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Stay Safe Shannow.
For those outside Australia, the area we are talking about is enormous, across multiple states. Shannow is in the NSW town of Lithgow, and right in the thick of it. The whole of the east coast of Australia is hazy with smoke, like the sun doesn't rise properly.
Recent news below.
Quote
Soaring temperatures into the mid-40s and strong winds have made bushfires erratic and difficult to control.
"The peak day for NSW and the ACT is Saturday," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrea Peace earlier warned.
"It creates a really dangerous period for the fire grounds because it (the wind) rapidly changes the direction of the fires there."
Fires are out of control across NSW, in Victoria and in Adelaide, where tragically a second person was confirmed dead today.
Authorities have warned main highways, including the Princes Highway and Hume Highway, may be closed and motorists will be asked to turn around if they try to enter dangerous areas. People have been told to delay any travel plans..
A ‘mega-blaze' has taken hold in Lithgow, two hours west of Sydney, with flames moving just metres from homes. Multiple homes are now destroyed and one resident is unaccounted for.
There are seven fire warnings in place across NSW, with many residents warned it's too late to leave.
Many are choosing to stay and fight, hosing down their homes with water.
Four firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion.
"Today's been an awful day, and we've already seen property impacted and lost," RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said in a press conference.
For those outside Australia, the area we are talking about is enormous, across multiple states. Shannow is in the NSW town of Lithgow, and right in the thick of it. The whole of the east coast of Australia is hazy with smoke, like the sun doesn't rise properly.
Recent news below.
Quote
Soaring temperatures into the mid-40s and strong winds have made bushfires erratic and difficult to control.
"The peak day for NSW and the ACT is Saturday," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrea Peace earlier warned.
"It creates a really dangerous period for the fire grounds because it (the wind) rapidly changes the direction of the fires there."
Fires are out of control across NSW, in Victoria and in Adelaide, where tragically a second person was confirmed dead today.
Authorities have warned main highways, including the Princes Highway and Hume Highway, may be closed and motorists will be asked to turn around if they try to enter dangerous areas. People have been told to delay any travel plans..
A ‘mega-blaze' has taken hold in Lithgow, two hours west of Sydney, with flames moving just metres from homes. Multiple homes are now destroyed and one resident is unaccounted for.
There are seven fire warnings in place across NSW, with many residents warned it's too late to leave.
Many are choosing to stay and fight, hosing down their homes with water.
Four firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion.
"Today's been an awful day, and we've already seen property impacted and lost," RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said in a press conference.
I know how terrifying wildfires are. Low humidity, high temps and draughts are a reipe for disaster.
Thanks to the brave firefighters.
Thanks to the brave firefighters.
Originally Posted by ndfergy
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
We sent 50 Canadian fire fighters to NSW. I hope they are some help. Good luck.
Yes, there's a mutual agreement between our countries to help each other in these situations. Australia has sent help to us too on a number of occasions to help with our wildfires. I, like many other Canadians, consider Australia a twin brother.
Thank you to our Canadian brothers, yes your fire fighters are here, it was on the news. It's good to have fresh people, these fires started in November and many are exhausted.
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
We sent 50 Canadian fire fighters to NSW. I hope they are some help. Good luck.
Yes, there's a mutual agreement between our countries to help each other in these situations. Australia has sent help to us too on a number of occasions to help with our wildfires. I, like many other Canadians, consider Australia a twin brother.
Thank you to our Canadian brothers, yes your fire fighters are here, it was on the news. It's good to have fresh people, these fires started in November and many are exhausted.
Originally Posted by SR5
Thank you to our Canadian brothers, yes your fire fighters are here, it was on the news. It's good to have fresh people, these fires started in November and many are exhausted.
52 are already there and 18 more are being sent per the attached article. Not sure if any are directly involved in fighting the flames but per the article they're there to provide fire control management and expertise.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas from Canada to all our Aussie friends.
Canada to send 18 more firefighters
Thank you to our Canadian brothers, yes your fire fighters are here, it was on the news. It's good to have fresh people, these fires started in November and many are exhausted.
52 are already there and 18 more are being sent per the attached article. Not sure if any are directly involved in fighting the flames but per the article they're there to provide fire control management and expertise.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas from Canada to all our Aussie friends.
Canada to send 18 more firefighters
Thanks for checking in Shannow, so we all know you are OK.
Another interesting fact, a few days ago Australia had 14 of the top 15 hottest places in the world
Quote
World's hottest places - Wednesday 18 December 2019
Pandamatenga (Botswana) - 49°C
Birdsville Airport (Queensland) - 47.7°C
Urandangi Aerodrome (Queensland) - 47.5°C
Bedourie (Queensland) - 47.5°C
Fitzroy Crossing Aero (Western Australia) - 47.4°C
Wudinna Aero (South Australia) - 47.3°C
Marble Bar (Western Australia) - 47°C
Curtin Aero (Western Australia) - 46.8°C
Mandora (Western Australia) - 46.8°C
Jervois (Northern Territory) - 46.6°C
Tarcoola Aero (South Australia) - 46.6°C
Ceduna Airport (South Australia) - 46.5°C
Port Augusta (South Australia) - 46.4°C
Wulungurru (Northern Territory) - 46.4°C
Marree Aero (South Australia) - 46.3°C
This was Australia's hottest day on record with the national average temperature reaching a high of 41.9C (107.4F). The previous record, was the day before, Tuesday with national average temp of 40.9C
Another interesting fact, a few days ago Australia had 14 of the top 15 hottest places in the world
Quote
World's hottest places - Wednesday 18 December 2019
Pandamatenga (Botswana) - 49°C
Birdsville Airport (Queensland) - 47.7°C
Urandangi Aerodrome (Queensland) - 47.5°C
Bedourie (Queensland) - 47.5°C
Fitzroy Crossing Aero (Western Australia) - 47.4°C
Wudinna Aero (South Australia) - 47.3°C
Marble Bar (Western Australia) - 47°C
Curtin Aero (Western Australia) - 46.8°C
Mandora (Western Australia) - 46.8°C
Jervois (Northern Territory) - 46.6°C
Tarcoola Aero (South Australia) - 46.6°C
Ceduna Airport (South Australia) - 46.5°C
Port Augusta (South Australia) - 46.4°C
Wulungurru (Northern Territory) - 46.4°C
Marree Aero (South Australia) - 46.3°C
This was Australia's hottest day on record with the national average temperature reaching a high of 41.9C (107.4F). The previous record, was the day before, Tuesday with national average temp of 40.9C
Last edited:
JHZR2
Staff member
Yikes.
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed? I know In the US some of the coniferous trees (which burn like mad from the sap) require fire to open the pine cones (at least that's what I recall learning).
The map is crazy, I don't fully understand the geography and population centers in Australia, but I know it's bad.
Scary stuff.
Be safe Shannow!
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed? I know In the US some of the coniferous trees (which burn like mad from the sap) require fire to open the pine cones (at least that's what I recall learning).
The map is crazy, I don't fully understand the geography and population centers in Australia, but I know it's bad.
Scary stuff.
Be safe Shannow!
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed?
Some definitely does, like Banksias, but too frequent bushfires can hurt these plants too as there needs to be time for the next generation to grow and mature between fires.
But the scale of the dry and the fires is far bigger than that. Near me are some lush rainforests in the mountains, the remnants of old Gondwana Rainforests that are moist and dripping with water. I spent much of my youth there. Those rainforest have never been known to burn, were never expected to burn and have not evolved to burn. This year they dried out and caught fire for the first time ever, in recorded history. Big devastating fires.
And before the fires we had the big dry, no rain for so long that many rural towns run out of water. My community was collecting water and feed to truck to farm communities in need.
Then the big dry turned into big fires.
Like I said before, this time is different, scary different.
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed?
Some definitely does, like Banksias, but too frequent bushfires can hurt these plants too as there needs to be time for the next generation to grow and mature between fires.
But the scale of the dry and the fires is far bigger than that. Near me are some lush rainforests in the mountains, the remnants of old Gondwana Rainforests that are moist and dripping with water. I spent much of my youth there. Those rainforest have never been known to burn, were never expected to burn and have not evolved to burn. This year they dried out and caught fire for the first time ever, in recorded history. Big devastating fires.
And before the fires we had the big dry, no rain for so long that many rural towns run out of water. My community was collecting water and feed to truck to farm communities in need.
Then the big dry turned into big fires.
Like I said before, this time is different, scary different.
We just spent 6 weeks on the eastern coast of Australia and
Originally Posted by SR5
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed?
Some definitely does, like Banksias, but too frequent bushfires can hurt these plants too as there needs to be time for the next generation to grow and mature between fires.
But the scale of the dry and the fires is far bigger than that. Near me are some lush rainforests in the mountains, the remnants of old Gondwana Rainforests that are moist and dripping with water. I spent much of my youth there. Those rainforest have never been known to burn, were never expected to burn and have not evolved to burn. This year they dried out and caught fire for the first time ever, in recorded history. Big devastating fires.
And before the fires we had the big dry, no rain for so long that many rural towns run out of water. My community was collecting water and feed to truck to farm communities in need.
Then the big dry turned into big fires.
Like I said before, this time is different, scary different.
We just spent 6 weeks in a camper van on the east coast of Australia, from the middle of October to the beginning of December, and it was getting drier in that amount of time. I was starting to evaluate which land use types burned the least in the previous fires we saw, incase a fire came roaring over the hill on a windy day while we were on the road... After a couple days of fires popping up along our planned route along the coast south from Brisbane, we went inland and around the fires to wetter areas along the south coast, and then down to Tasmania.
I hope some rain comes soon, people we talked with were stoic about the drought but after years in some places without some normal rain, its got to wear on you. The parts of Australia we saw were still beautiful and interesting even in a drought, so after this fire season I'd still recommend going.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/12/full-23387-39518-img_0658.jpg "[Linked Image]")
Originally Posted by SR5
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Does the vegetation there rely upon fires to reseed?
Some definitely does, like Banksias, but too frequent bushfires can hurt these plants too as there needs to be time for the next generation to grow and mature between fires.
But the scale of the dry and the fires is far bigger than that. Near me are some lush rainforests in the mountains, the remnants of old Gondwana Rainforests that are moist and dripping with water. I spent much of my youth there. Those rainforest have never been known to burn, were never expected to burn and have not evolved to burn. This year they dried out and caught fire for the first time ever, in recorded history. Big devastating fires.
And before the fires we had the big dry, no rain for so long that many rural towns run out of water. My community was collecting water and feed to truck to farm communities in need.
Then the big dry turned into big fires.
Like I said before, this time is different, scary different.
We just spent 6 weeks in a camper van on the east coast of Australia, from the middle of October to the beginning of December, and it was getting drier in that amount of time. I was starting to evaluate which land use types burned the least in the previous fires we saw, incase a fire came roaring over the hill on a windy day while we were on the road... After a couple days of fires popping up along our planned route along the coast south from Brisbane, we went inland and around the fires to wetter areas along the south coast, and then down to Tasmania.
I hope some rain comes soon, people we talked with were stoic about the drought but after years in some places without some normal rain, its got to wear on you. The parts of Australia we saw were still beautiful and interesting even in a drought, so after this fire season I'd still recommend going.
A firenado in Western Australia and the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (near-ish to Shannow)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/12/full-70299-39520-firenado_wa_2019.jpg "[Linked Image]")
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/12/full-70299-39521-_bushfires_ravage_bells_line_of_road_at_mt_wilson_2019.jpg "[Linked Image]")
Originally Posted by Silk
Originally Posted by SR5
Today the state of Victoria had it's hottest ever December day on record at 47.4C (117.3F)
I couldn't cope with that. At a cousins funeral yesterday, another cousin who lives in Karatha says he is coming home next year, among other things, as he gets older he can't take the heat.
Hoping you guys stay out of trouble.
Southeast Florida near the coast in the summer at 92-94 degrees with an ocean breeze in the afternoon is balmy by comparison.
Originally Posted by SR5
Today the state of Victoria had it's hottest ever December day on record at 47.4C (117.3F)
I couldn't cope with that. At a cousins funeral yesterday, another cousin who lives in Karatha says he is coming home next year, among other things, as he gets older he can't take the heat.
Hoping you guys stay out of trouble.
Southeast Florida near the coast in the summer at 92-94 degrees with an ocean breeze in the afternoon is balmy by comparison.
Wave of the future
Originally Posted by SR5
From what I can tell, so far we have had about 3 million hectares burnt, and the fires are still going. For comparison the US state of Maryland has an area of 3.2 million hectares, we should be there by Christmas.
It was announced that the total area burned in bushfires across Australia since spring this year is 5 million hectares.
From what I can tell, so far we have had about 3 million hectares burnt, and the fires are still going. For comparison the US state of Maryland has an area of 3.2 million hectares, we should be there by Christmas.
It was announced that the total area burned in bushfires across Australia since spring this year is 5 million hectares.
Originally Posted by AC1DD
When was the last time things got this bad or came close to getting this bad? Decades ago? Curious.
From the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service (RFS)
Quote
The total area burned in NSW is 3.41m hectares, according to the Rural Fire Service. The scale of the bushfires is "unprecedented" for this point in the season, RFS spokeswoman Angela Burford said.
"To put it in perspective, in the past few years we have had a total area burned for the whole season of about 280,000 ha," Burford said. "This year we're at 3.41m and we are only halfway through the season."
The largest fire, Gospers Mountain, has reached 488,174 ha. Conditions in NSW are expected to worsen again at the end of the week. Firefighters are conducting back burns in the Blue Mountains to protect property for when the fire flares up again.
In another state, Queensland
Quote
Queensland firefighters have had their first few days of respite in six months, with increased humidity quelling fire activity.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services acting chief superintendent, Kevin Reading...who has worked for QFES for 15 years, said he "hasn't seen a season like it".
"We are usually talking this time of year about cyclones and when they are going to come," Reading said.
When was the last time things got this bad or came close to getting this bad? Decades ago? Curious.
From the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service (RFS)
Quote
The total area burned in NSW is 3.41m hectares, according to the Rural Fire Service. The scale of the bushfires is "unprecedented" for this point in the season, RFS spokeswoman Angela Burford said.
"To put it in perspective, in the past few years we have had a total area burned for the whole season of about 280,000 ha," Burford said. "This year we're at 3.41m and we are only halfway through the season."
The largest fire, Gospers Mountain, has reached 488,174 ha. Conditions in NSW are expected to worsen again at the end of the week. Firefighters are conducting back burns in the Blue Mountains to protect property for when the fire flares up again.
In another state, Queensland
Quote
Queensland firefighters have had their first few days of respite in six months, with increased humidity quelling fire activity.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services acting chief superintendent, Kevin Reading...who has worked for QFES for 15 years, said he "hasn't seen a season like it".
"We are usually talking this time of year about cyclones and when they are going to come," Reading said.
Yay !!! Santa brought me Rain for Christmas !!!!
It's only light rain, and only over part of the country. But it's still rain, and most of the country is a bit cooler today.
Merry Christmas !!
It's only light rain, and only over part of the country. But it's still rain, and most of the country is a bit cooler today.
Merry Christmas !!
Originally Posted by SR5
Yay !!! Santa brought me Rain for Christmas !!!!
It's only light rain, and only over part of the country. But it's still rain, and most of the country is a bit cooler today.
Merry Christmas !!
I prayed you'd get rain...maybe a lot of people were doing the same!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Yay !!! Santa brought me Rain for Christmas !!!!
It's only light rain, and only over part of the country. But it's still rain, and most of the country is a bit cooler today.
Merry Christmas !!
I prayed you'd get rain...maybe a lot of people were doing the same!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Originally Posted by Shannow
We had two days of very heavy dew...alas no rain.
I hope you get rain soon Shannow. The QLD fire service say if they get good rain then they will send all their people down south to help. It *should* be the QLD wet season right now, it just hasn't happened yet.
BTW Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to you.
We had two days of very heavy dew...alas no rain.
I hope you get rain soon Shannow. The QLD fire service say if they get good rain then they will send all their people down south to help. It *should* be the QLD wet season right now, it just hasn't happened yet.
BTW Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to you.
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