Black Saturday

[john62]

This week, ten years ago, Black Saturday hit the state of Victoria. The result, 400 bushfires burning, over 450 000 hectares burnt ,
180 people died, over 5 500 building destroyed, it is thought that over 1 million animals killed. Temp. reached 45C with very strong north winds.

John

[denimini]

Yes, I watched the 10 year anniverary program on ABC TV. Unfortunately this sort of thing is becoming more common workdwide; US, Greece, even cold wet Tasmainia.

[dillon]

Yes, I watched the 10 year anniverary program on ABC TV. Unfortunately this sort of thing is becoming more common workdwide; US, Greece, even cold wet Tasmainia.

I keep wondering how there’s anything left to burn in California. And I know people love living beneath the pines and firs, but at some point I think some clear-cut buffers between forest and suburbs might be in order.

[john62]

Not in Australia due to the Greens. One friend built a house in a heavily treed suburb because they cut down trees the council ordered them to plant 1000, yes
1 000 plants on the property and even came out to cout them.

john

[denimini]

A person builds in bushland because of the natural beauty and then clears it to be safe from bushfires; the clearing adds to global warming which increases the risk of fires overall.
Perhaps best not to build in bushland and just visit it to appreciate it (as it will be still there). Sometimes it is better to let a natural area have a low intensity burn now and then rather than allow the fuel load to build up but this can not happen if there are houses there. When it does burn it is a fierce and hot fire-storm.

Sorry, I am not flaming.

[crfriend]

Sometimes it is better to let a natural area have a low intensity burn now and then rather than allow the fuel load to build up but this can not happen if there are houses there. When it does burn it is a fierce and hot fire-storm.

This is the typical ecosystem in southern California, and in fact there are species of conifers there which actually depend on fire to release their seeds. So, yes, the place pretty much requires the occasional low-intensity burn -- which isn't possible because of the human habitation, so when it does catch fire it really catches fire.

Humans can be pretty dumb sometimes. Look, for instance, at the architecture that was used by the early Spanish and Mexican settlers in the area -- stucco with tile roofs. Flame resistant structures. The modern folks then build structures out of wood that'd look at home in New England and wonder why they catch fire...

[Fred in Skirts]

Humans can be pretty dumb sometimes. Look, for instance, at the architecture that was used by the early Spanish and Mexican settlers in the area -- stucco with tile roofs. Flame resistant structures. The modern folks then build structures out of wood that'd look at home in New England and wonder why they catch fire...

Carl by the way the modern humans are going I say we will be back to the stone age in a few decades. Modern man will not learn from the past and thinks it has to be his way or the highway. I use to have a very old ( over 100 year old) Appliance that still worked like it was suppose to, still had the same electrical cord and all. I used it until the cord finally gave up the ghost and was not repairable and then I donated it to the local Museum and it was on display for about 2 years until it was stolen. Modern man thinks that if it isn't new it is no good so it has to be redesigned and made to look modern and be disposable too so that next year we have to buy a new one. What a terrible waste of resources and money.

[6ft3Aussie]

The fires in Eastern Victoria, I recall seeing the smoke from the air from a flight between Auckland, New Zealand and Melbourne on the Monday afternoon following.
It was almost impossible to tell what was smoke and what was cloud, although in some areas it was obvious as the smoke was smooth looking from above, the cloud much more lumpy looking.

I recall as a kid growing up in New Zealand, seeing the brown smoke in the air, and sometimes smelling the smoke from Australian bush fires, about 2300 km away.