pnut Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 I hope the membership living in areas affected by the wildfires ravaging parts of Australia find themselves, their families, and property safe. My heart goes out to those who have not been as lucky and my thoughts and prayers are with you. Try to stay safe and keep us posted. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 Down under folks, Best wishes and good luck. (Advance Australia fair). SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Ringing the anvil three times, to ask for help in controlling the fires and keep everyone safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Been speaking with higher for all folks in the line of fires. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Thank you for your thoughts folks. We go through this every year, and it is never easier. Bushfires have been part of our landscape for millenia, however lately they have been a sad political football. Photo opportunity for the politicians, podium for the deranged and the lunatic who want to send us back to the caves. The human cost, be it loss of life, assets and lifelong memories can no be replaced. The risk all involved are subject to, the body and soul scars, that never go away. Then you read once again that 50% and probably more are deliberately lit. A few of my family members are in the fire brigade. So far so good. We were at the riverhouse at the peak of the danger yet all we saw was smoke, thankfully. I have all the equipment to fight amber attack, but if the fire goes over the hill behind the house I know that is a battle I can not win. Our escape route is in the boat, and down the river. Family and pets all aboard. Most are not so lucky to have a safe escape route, in fact a lot of fatalities are due to no planing, or criminal negligence by the councils who in their greed allow building in completely unsuitable areas with no escape and surrounded by trees that can not be cleared thanks to the green policies. It is madness yet authorities get away with it time and time again. Only when people in authority will start facing courts and be sentenced for criminal negligence or conspiracy will this lunacy stop. What comes next, as clockwork is the letter from the insurance company stating higher costs due to "acts of God" and the inevitable premium increase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil H Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Spare a thought for Moony, who lives on a rural property at Burke's Hill. Quote from the NSW Rural Fire Service website ("Fires Near Me"): The bush fire is burning through the Tallaganda National Park, west of Braidwood. The fire is over 15,600 hectares in size and is being controlled. Current Situation The North Black Range fire is currently burning in the Tallaganda National Park, and to the west and south west of Braidwood. To the south east of the fireground, fire activity has increased around Burkes Crossing and Burkes Hill near the Shoalhaven River. To the north east of the fireground, fire activity has increased around Columbo Creek. Fire activity has increased as strong winds are impacting the fire ground. Currently there are 170 separate fires burning in NSW alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Moony and all Aussies in the way of the fire are on the list. We wish them well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Russell Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Just talked to Moony , fires to the east and west of him about 2 KMS from his property , packed and ready to leave if he has to . Moving equipment away from the w/shop as I was talking to him . Wil call him tomorrow to see how he went . Dale Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Quote A bush fire is burning in the Wollemi National Park area. The fire is more than 196,890 hectares in size and is being controlled. Current Situation The fire is burning in the Wollemi and Yengo National Parks, and Parr State Recreation areas. A number of new fires have been detected after extensive lightning storms during the past week. Backburning operations continue where conditions allow to strengthen containment lines. A new fire ignited by lightning is burning to the east of the Macdonald River, the Three Mile fire, in the Old Great North Road area and is being controlled. The first picture is fires in the state of NSW, the second picture is closer to home. The shaded area is the area that is burning It is going to be a long summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Dale Russell, so glad to see you on here and Safe at the moment and your report on Moony. Often think of you guys esp. since the chat room seems to have gone away, miss you guys. Don't get on IFI as often as I did life seems to be dragging me hollering, kicking and screaming in 20 directions since retiring and returning to the home farm. Now the first major snowstorm of the season started couple hours ago will slow things up more. Great to see you on here Dale best to your and yours this holiday season. Dale Johnson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 The fire near us, called the Gospers mountain fire, has grown to a gargantuan 484,000 hectares, that is 1.2 million acres. For some miracle we are in a small pocket surrounded by fire from all sides but south, and still safe. The only road to our property is closed but for residents to allow fire trucks to pass freely. It is a rather narrow road. I have a fire pump at the ready if ambers start to fly. The river will be my escape route if it comes to that. Meantime my daughter that bought a beautiful rural property recently has the fires closer to home. She evacuated to an RSL club who is looking after her, the girls and the chicken, giving them and others shelter and food. Nothing is lacking for them. Husband is a firefighter alone at home with pump at the ready. We had 47C yesterday and winds from the nordwest , and all indications that the fire would pass over the property. Yet in the afternoon, the temperature dropped in the thirties and a persistent southerly blew the fire back north. we have forecast southerly all week and things are looking much better. Keep in mind that 85% of fires are lit by arsonist 43% ...and accidental stupidity the rest 42%. This means that the bushfires are a factor of population numbers. More people more fires. Yes, those so inclined are trying to make political milage from other people's misery and blaming global warming. The sad reality is that bushfires are man made, by directly lighting them and by indirectly preventing fuel reduction burning in winter for ill conceived ecological reasons. We have triplicated our population in the last 70 years, an experiment that few countries have ever made. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Russell Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Marc , stay safe mate , first sign of that fire coming to you i'd be heading for the river . Like you I also live in a bushfire prone area , if a fire breaks out here this summer it'll make Black Saturday look like a single candle on a cake , 5 times this last year they told us here they where going to be doing fuel reductions , 4 time it was cancelled due to it was " raining " ( never heard why the 5th wasn't done ) In recent years I intended on staying , but with an ailing disabled wife I've had to make the hard choice of " leaving " at first sign of fire . Maybe one day the people in-charge will heed the advice of the local native Australians & do the " fuel reductions & do it often " like they did before the white man came to " their " country . Dale Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Yep, the boat is fuelled and ready to go anywhere. That is my daughter (number 3 out of 4) and grandson number 8 ( out of 9) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 OK, you have a boat. When Dale said head for the river, I'm thinking, there are crocodiles in the rivers. Stay safe. I'll be praying for you and yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Crocs are in rivers and the sea up north past Brisbane, not down here in Sydney. We do have bull sharks but we tend to ignore them and they ignore us. Mostly juveniles all he way up the Hawkesbury. Big ones down the mouth of the river and out to sea. They never stopped us skiing or swimming. never a recorded attack to humans. Some stories of dog disappearing though. There is also local stories of a monster Loch Ness style ... but I never seen it even when some swear to have seen it right in our neck of the woods. I hope to catch it on camera one day. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/does-a-prehistoric-monster-haunt-the-hawkesbury-river-sydney-has-its-own-nessie/news-story/b77b47c46f6d225cb132f346c7f78f10?sv=661f0fcab50bb288cbd5c969f176aba3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Finally found a graphic showing the size of the Australian wildfires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Glenn, I had no idea that Tasmania was situated in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Amazing! SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Marc, are those trees across the river from an older fire or the new ones? Wow. Take care, hope you and your family (and neighbors) stay safe. Looks like you are well prepared for an evacuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Olson Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 God bless the fire fighters. Heres a vid where they are driving through hell ! Youtube says it was posted Jan 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 14 hours ago, arkie said: Marc, are those trees across the river from an older fire or the new ones? Wow. Take care, hope you and your family (and neighbors) stay safe. Looks like you are well prepared for an evacuation. Sorry Arkie, that is a 6 month old photo, taken in our winter. The trees are cottonwood and look like that in winter. The fires spared us so far, they came all around us as close as a few km but not closer. My eldest daughter that moved in her newly acquired acreage only a few month ago, had to evacuate for the third time, the last one last week. Packed two girls and 4 chickens in the car and came to stay with us. Husband that is in the fire brigade stayed back armed with pumps, a pool full of water and lots of determination, to put out embers. At the last minute, when the firestorm seemed inevitable, a change in the wind direction saved the house and pushed the flames back. It has to be said, that bushfires are part of the Australian landscape and have been for millenia. The aboriginal population that arrived 50,000 years ago, managed the bush by burning the fuel that accumulates naturally from trees and grass growth, every year in order to make human existence compatible with the land. European that arrived only 230 years ago, adopted the local practice, however as recently as 30 years ago something changed. Some "eco" groups, produced and promoted successfully a new set of ideas, plucked more or less from thin air. Namely that fuel levels stay "constant" and that therefore essential fuel reduction burning is not necessary and that it is in fact harming local flora and fauna. Ignoring decades of scientific data that shows leafs and branches accumulating for 15 years before leveling out and bark as much as 30 years, local councils and state legislation started to block farmers from doing their own fuel reduction. Things escalated for decades with fanatical determination worthy of a better cause. The severity of this years bush fires are due to simple factors. Higher than ever levels of fuel, triple the population since the sixties and therefore triple the number of arsonist that account for 42.5% of fires, the other 42.5% go to human negligence, and the last 15% are natural causes we have no control over. This year back burning operations in winter saw the local councils hamper the fire brigade efforts by limiting the areas severely and demanding it be done short section at the time, as short as one meter. Most catastrophes that overcome humanity can be traced back to our own selfish motives and stupidity trying to run hidden agendas for personal motives. Nothing new really. Sad that so many pay the cost of the deranged agenda of the few. If you happen to know someone who is in the USA fire brigade and that has come to help, let him or her know that i am very grateful and thank him from the bottom of my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Well said Marc, the same thing is happening on our west coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Marc, thanks for the update and glad the family is safe for now. Sounds like settlers have pretty well thrown Australia under the bus, so to speak. Better that the Aborigines take the land back!!!!! The forest service here in NW Arkansas does "controlled burns" from time to time to reduce the fuel load in wooded areas, but brush and grasslands aren't burned, to my knowledge (someone correct me if I am wrong, please). As we have seen in your situation, grass and brush can do just the same damage as wooded/forest areas. Our neighboring state, Oklahoma has seen some downright devastating grass and brush fires in the past few years. The graphic posted here by Glenn showing the overlay of Aussie fires over the continental U.S. made my jaw drop.... I wish the best for you and family, take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Folks, This news article just in from ABC news one hour ago, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/24-australians-arrested-for-deliberately-setting-fires-this-season/ar-BBYG2kd?ocid=spartanntp Two dozen cretins have been apprehended for deliberately starting fires, in tinder dry Australia. And hundreds more found tossing lit cigarette buts and matches on the parched ground. Sad news, indeed. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 5 hours ago, arkie said: Sounds like settlers have pretty well thrown Australia under the bus, so to speak. Nee Arkie, that was not what I meant. Every case of culture shift in any country you care to think of, has good and bad aspects to it. And don't forget that it is very difficult to make cultural/historical adjustments to be fair to all parties. What is happening today is very recent and those pushing the "green" line are not representative of the majority, they are just louder and have a lot of time on their hand. 2 hours ago, SLAG said: Two dozen cretins have been apprehended for deliberately starting fires, in tinder dry Australia. Slag, 85% of fires are started by human hands, half with criminal intent and the other half accidentally. By the way i believe that is more or less the same in other western countries. The saddest part is that they get a slap on the wrist by the " avant garde" judiciary that are oh so understanding ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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