Two thousand kilometres

[Hydromet]

There are no fires near here at present, but the forecast for tomorrow is such that if one starts, it will be almost uncontrollable. Won't be sticking around if there's any danger.

[bob2s]

Forcast for today has dry north westerly winds with gusts reaching 90 kph,so ember drift will be substantial.Ember drift earlier in the week with wind speed half that predicted was 12 k so it does not bode well for today.

[TheGreenGoblin]

I wish you folks out there in the face of these fires well. Take care.

[ian16th]

I wish I could send you some of our rain!

[bob2s]

Have the stupid,rat bag Greens stating to anyone that will listen, that the fires are the result of climate change.The general public are a wake up to them though, as it has been the build up of fuel load in the national parks that has caused such a high fire season.This has all come about by the politicians bowing to the Greens demand for over the top leglistaion regarding low hazard reduction burning in the cooler months,the banning of people collecting dead branches for fire wood and also fined those that knocked over a few trees to provide a fire break around their homes. These stupid mongrels have a lot to answer for!!!

Question How do you stuff up anything you can think of. Answer Give it to politicians.

[Hydromet]

The greens have had nothing to do with the lack of burn-offs. Our local RFS tried three times to do a burn off in one of the valleys near us. They were unsuccessful because on each occasion it was too windy.
If you wish to keep your head in the sand and ignore what the experts and scientists are saying go ahead, but everyone with any brains knows that you're spouting *****.

[Alisoncc]

I'm just up the road from there Alison - D1 also went to Turramurra High.

Hey Hydro, South Turramurra residents advised to seek shelter.

[Hydromet]

Yes, just watching it on TV. Only 5km from us, but downwind at present. Police chasing an arsonist.

[Alisoncc]

Question How do you stuff up anything you can think of. Answer Give it to politicians.

Just heard that Morrison (PM) is calling for a Royal Commission to investigate causes with it to report back by Easter 2022.

[Hydromet]

Just heard that Morrison (PM) is calling for a Royal Commission to investigate causes with it to report back by Easter 2022.

A Royal Commission by 2022 is fine, but we'd be better off with thoughts and prayers right now.

[Alisoncc]

Yes, just watching it on TV. Only 5km from us, but downwind at present. Police chasing an arsonist.

Recognise the street names. Daughter had school friends there. Used to pick her up after socialising sessions.

There were some incredibly expensive homes there. Six bedrooms, in bush setting, only a few kms from the CBD.

[Sisemen]

Wonder just how many of these city-centric, tree-changers have a 30 metre cleared area around buildings? As a now retired firey I used to despair of folk wanting the forest right up to their windows.

[Sisemen]

And here’s a classic example!

[Rwy in Sight]

Some remarks regarding forest fires: a late ecology professor with a excellent understanding of practical issues insisted on collecting or clearing the pine needles (dead leaves actually) from around the forest roads hence making more difficult for a fire to start either accidental or on purpose. RiS dad who is an agronomist and runs a family plot of land with plenty of pines says it is non-sense to try to clear. RiS and a friend tried to chopped the branches of two pines and another tree in August to avoid the trees going over the friend's border plot to other's people property. Tall pines but not very big. We have spent about 4 working days trying to clean the debris - we are not done yet and the local town-hall service have not managed to clear the second lot of branches and bags full of pine leaves, despite friends calling them often.

It is an enormous job to clear the trees and branches properly and do a good burn-off and to be frank I am not aware if ever it was done. I understand fire-stopping zones are better but they are not popular since it requires large parts of the forest to be completely cleared completely down to barren earth - which as I am thinking it would cause corrosion problems. The only viable solution is to make the forest productive hence people will protect it because it generates income for them.

I hope the fires stop quickly.

[Alisoncc]

Sorry guys but I lived in a similar environment to Kissing Point Rd. Our house backed on to a creek which was a short distance along from your GE capture Sise. In seventeen years only came close to a fire once. And we loved every minute of living there.

A dozen different varieties of bird life would congregate on our patio railings every morning. Parrots, Lorikeets and Rosellas, Butcher birds and Kookaburras, to name a few. Two varieties of Possum, plus Bandicoots and Fruit Bats could be found helping themselves to food put out. And was it quiet. No traffic noise to speak of. It really was a magic place. A leisurely 20 min drive to Chatswood - Sydney's silicon valley extension, for work.

Would I do it now, probably not. The undergrowth here is tinder dry, you can feel underfoot, crunching. And it's hotter and windier than I ever remember. Just walking the dog through a small wood this morning was like taking your life in your hands. Is the climate changing, my bloody oath it is.

Alison

[John Hill]

This picture is really worrying as it appears a fire in suburbia would be even harder to handle than one in the 'bush'!

[Hydromet]

This picture is really worrying as it appears a fire in suburbia would be even harder to handle than one in the 'bush'!

I'm not sure John. A fire in the bush will probably travel faster, but do less damage (Australian bush regenerates quickly after fires), while in the suburbs there is better access for fire engines, and better water supply. Of course, in the suburbs, there will potentially be serious property damage, especially when, as Siseman says, there is fuel up against the house - not just plants, but uncleared leaves, barbecue gas bottles, lawn mower fuel, gutters full of leaves etc.

We live in a similar environment to that described by Alison. The last fire that threatened our house was in 1975. There was another small one in the '80s, deliberately lit, and we had a volunteer bush fire brigade captain who eventually spent some time as a guest of HM for lighting fires. This, apparently, is not uncommon. There were reports that the Kissing Point road fire today was deliberately lit, and near Kiama on the south coast, a 9 year old boy was given a talking to by police for starting a small grass fire.

While there are new rules for houses like ours that are close to the bush, it is unlikely that even they would protect from a serious bushfire if it came through. However, I had a good look at a house built by friends in the Blue Mountains that is designed to protect the occupants for at least four hours. The council by-laws require a cleared area around the house, as it's in the bush, but it also has wide concrete & crushed granite paths & patios around it.. The house is steel clad, with steel shutters on all windows able to be closed from inside. All external timber, window & door frames are of an imported timber that has a high ignition temperature. The house has underground fire water storage and roof sprinklers. When closed up, it's designed to not allow cinders to sneak in under doors or anywhere else. I don't know the cost, but it wouldn't have been cheap.

[Alisoncc]

Anyone know much about the orange fire retardant chemical? A news clip showed houses in South Turramurra covered in the stuff. Having known some of the people who lived there I am sure they are far from impressed. Nice white houses, white cars, impeccable gardens and manicured lawns all sprayed with orange gunk.

[Rwy in Sight]

I don't know about the orange version but the national Air Force has I think 2 C-130 written off due to corrosion by the fire retardant chemical used in mid-80's. However we were told it is good for the plants.
Hydromet, the bush regenerates quickly the first time this part is burned.

[Hydromet]

Hydromet, the bush regenerates quickly the first time this part is burned.

True, I should have qualified my statement. Also, as long as the fire isn't too hot. In Gippsland after the 1926 fires it took a very long time to regenerate, and when I worked there in the 1980s you could still see the remains of large dead trees from that fire, that were much taller than the new growth.