Sheltering from a bushfire

[Diuretic]

There's a bushfire in eastern Victoria (it's a state in the south-eastern bit of the Australian mainland). I was listening to a radio interview with the bloke who runs the local pub in a small town which lost five or six houses in the bushfire. He was saying that his pub was in a very safe area and that it was a shelter for the townsfolk who had evacuated their homes for the safety of the pub.

The journalist interviewing the publican asked him a few questions and then joked that he was running an informal rescue centre. The publican then told him that it wasn't just humans in there. He had about seven wild kangaroos and wombats in the lounge of the pub, sheltering from the heat and the bushfire!

I've been in a pub (place called Silverton, in western New South Wales) and had a beer alongside a horse (no rider, just the horse who used to come in every afternoon for a bucket of beer) but I've never had a beer in a pub with wild roos and wombats. The bloke should invite them back after the fires, think of the tourism possibilities

But good for him, looking after the poor little buggers.

 

[KittenKoder]

When I read this ... all I wanted to do was translate for the local rednecks.

 

[Diuretic]

Oh, sorry. I sometimes forget myself and I write the way I think (s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w-l-y ) and sometimes there's too much slang.

 

[waltky]

Oz loses World Heritage-listed forests to bushfires...

Tasmania bushfires raze ancient forests
Sun, Jan 31, 2016 - MAY BE LOST FOREVER: While no properties have been destroyed and no one was hurt in the blazes, parts of western Tasmania’s famed wilderness have been ravaged

World Heritage-listed forests whose origins pre-date the age of the dinosaurs are being destroyed by raging Australian bushfires, with conservationists increasingly fearful they could be lost forever. Firefighters in Tasmania have been battling bushfires for 18 days, with 95,000 hectares of land burnt so far, authorities said on Friday.

While no properties have been destroyed and no one was hurt in the infernos — which are so numerous that firefighters from across Australia and New Zealand have been flown in to help — parts of western Tasmania’s famed wilderness have been destroyed by the flames. “The fires in western Tasmania are occurring in basically an ecosystem which is a remnant from the geological past, so they are of immense significance scientifically,” said David Bowman, professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania. “These systems were once more widespread and indeed grew on Antarctica billions of years ago, so they are living fossils... they go back to well before the age of the dinosaurs, they are a tangible connection to Gondwana.”

Gondwana was a land mass that included present-day Africa, South America and Australia and formed the southern part of an ancient supercontinent called Pangaea. One of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world, the Tasmanian Wilderness was entered into the World Heritage list for its significant natural and cultural values in 1982 and covers nearly 20 percent of the island, or 1.4 million hectares. It includes the Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park and the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, home to popular bushwalking tracks.

With the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) battling more than 70 blazes and access to remote areas difficult, a spokesman said the agency was not able to gauge how much forest had been burnt, although most of the fires are in the west and encompass vast swathes of protected land. Species under threat include the southern beech forests, also known as nothofagus, the pencil pine — a distant relative of American redwoods — and the king billy pine, Bowman said. Some species are only found in Tasmania, leading to concerns that if the ancient, slow-growing trees are obliterated by the blazes, they could take many years to regrow, if at all.

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Australian mines, residents brace as storm approaches
Sun, Jan 31, 2016 - A cyclone gathered strength as it headed for the northwest coast of Western Australia yesterday, forcing ports to close and mining companies to evacuate.

Cyclone Stan, the first of a season which runs from November to April, was forecast to cross the coast northeast of Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub, late yesterday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said. The weather bureau issued communities in Port Hedland and Dampier and surrounding areas with a yellow alert, meaning they need to move to shelter. The bureau also warned of a potential storm tide with “damaging waves and dangerous flooding.”

The ports of Dampier and Port Hedland, through which gas from the northwest shelf and almost half of the world’s seaborne iron ore are shipped, were closed. A BHP Billiton spokesman said the company was closely monitoring the cyclone. “All tie-down activities have been completed and staff have been evacuated with a minimal number remaining for security and observation purposes,” the company said in a statement.

The Port Hedland facility also ships cargo for Fortescue Metals Group, while Rio Tinto ships iron ore through Dampier.

Australian mines, residents brace as storm approaches - Taipei Times

 

[waltky]

Is bushfire season in Australia...

Australian firefighters battle five bushfires going out of control, as 60 other fires flare up across NSW
Saturday 5th November, 2016 - Hundreds of firefighters are engaged in battling bushfires that have flared up across New South Wales, since the afternoon of November 4.

A large fire had enveloped a wrecking yard in Revesby, turning hundreds of cars to ash but on Saturday, NSW Fire and Rescue said in a statement that the fire has almost been extinguished. However, the blaze led to one man suffering minor burns and two others who suffered after inhaling the smoke. All three of them have undergone treatment and the man suffering from burns is likely to be transferred to Concord Hospital, while the two others were since discharged. Close to 100 firefighters and 20 fire trucks are on the scene, trying to prevent the fire from getting out of hands and spreading across the neighbourhood. Diversions were earlier placed on The River Road but were later removed and eastbound lanes on Canterbury Road are now accessible. Firefighters had a tough time battling the flames and the warm winds made matters worse, spreading the fire across Castle Cove, Mulgrave, Llandilo, Revesby, Terrey Hills and the Hunter Valley.

According to Rob Rogers, the Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner of New South Wales, the fire was “burning extremely ferociously in high winds.” FRNSW Commissioner Greg Mullins stated, “This is a very serious fire, very volatile. This fire is still spreading ... it's quite a desperate battle.” According to Mullins, four houses in the neighbourhood have been evacuated in the fear of 30 kgs of LPG gas cylinders exploding. Yet another region of NSW, Callala Bay, is dealing with a bushfire that started on Friday and hasn’t been contained so far. The bushfire is said to have consumed 490 hectares in a dangerously spreading fire and fire services are reportedly trying to contain the spread, the NSW Rural Fire Service said.

NSWRFS stated, “A spot fire has occurred earlier this morning to the west of Stott Crescent, Callala Bay and continues to move towards homes in that area. NSWRFS Firefighters are on scene however there is no immediate threat to homes in the area. There is a large cleared area behind homes in Stott Crescent which firefighters will use to protect property if the need arises. A strong south westerly wind change has moved across the fire ground whilst this will move the fire away Callala Beach and Callala Bay - it may put pressure on the northern containment line along Forest Rd.” Roskell Road and Caffery Circuit in Callala Beach are being serviced by another crew. Residents living in neighbourhoods nearby have been advised to pay attention to the conditions and seek help from fire crews if needed. They urged, “If the fire impacts your property, seek shelter to protect yourself from the heat of the fire.” Further, authorities had earlier downgraded a bushfire in Racecourse Road at Cessnock but have now said that the fire returned to emergency warning status after it escaped containment lines.

About 175 firefighters are at the spot, engaged in efforts to prevent the spread of the fire that has already impacted some properties on several streets and now threatens about 50 homes around Kitchener, Abernathy and Kearsley. Fire and emergency units are also stationed in the Hunter Region, to deal with a fire north of Raymond Terrace that has reached emergency warning level, burning towards Limeburners Creek. Other units are dealing with the blaze off Lone Pine Road in Port Stephens covering 620 hectares. According to reports, bushfires are burning out of control at Wollongong and Shoalhaven and 31 other such fires have still not been contained. RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd said, “It will still be warm and dry on Sunday, heating up on Monday and on Tuesday - we could see some hot and windy weather before some possible cooler weather returns on Wednesday.”

Australian firefighters battle five bushfires going out of control as 60 other fires flare up across NSW

 

[waltky]

Fire season down under...

Australia bushfires: 'Most buildings' in tiny town damaged
Mon, 13 Feb 2017 - Locals say most buildings in Uarbry are destroyed, as 80 fires burn across New South Wales.

Bushfires ravaging the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have largely destroyed a very small town, residents have said. More than 80 fires - including 20 uncontained - were still burning on Monday following record temperatures. The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said it was remarkable no lives were lost amid "catastrophic" weekend conditions. But about nine of 12 buildings in the tiny community of Uarbry had been destroyed, according to locals. RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons could not confirm that number but said "most buildings" in Uarbry had been razed or damaged.

The blaze, dubbed Sir Ivan, had an active fire edge of about 200km (124 miles) and had burned through 50,000 hectares near Dunedoo, Mr Fitzsimmons said. "One of our captains in that local area was a resident of Uarbry," he said. "He was out fighting the fires and he has come back to find that his home is destroyed." Local resident Peter Gilmour told Sydney's Daily Telegraph that only three houses in the town were unaffected. "Most neighbours have lost everything," he said.

Conditions to ease

More than 2,500 firefighters, many of them volunteers, were battling the fires. One firefighter had suffered a severe hand laceration, while another suffered serious burns to the hands, arms and face, Mr Fitzsimmons said. Officials said the weekend conditions were worse than during the 2009 "Black Saturday" fires in the state of Victoria, which killed 173 people. NSW broke its record for the hottest average statewide temperature on Saturday, with 44C. The towns of Forbes (46.C) and Richmond (47C) had their hottest days on record. Interstate, records were also broken in the Queensland towns of Gatton (45.6C), Oakley (42.6C), Toowoomba (40.8C) and Kingaroy (41.6C).

An aerial photo of the Sir Ivan fire near Dunedoo​

Australia's weather bureau forecast a cool change to arrive on Monday. Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant said the conditions were unprecedented. "Those in our community who are feeling relieved that we may have dodged a bullet, we must remember that there are many who have been devastated by fires in their regions," he said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked firefighters for their efforts. "We are not out of the woods, however, we are beyond the worst part of those catastrophic conditions that existed over the weekend," she said.

Australia's severe bushfires