The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #152535 Message #3567764
Posted By: Sandra in Sydney
17-Oct-13 - 09:53 AM
Thread Name: 2013/14 fire season, Australia
Subject: 2013/14 fire season, Australia
It's not long past midnight here & I'm over 100km from the fires to the west of Greater Sydney but I can smell the smoke & I have sore eyes & a headache, presumably from the smog & particles.
Earlier today swimmers on our famous beaches a few km to the east of me reported charred leaves in the water. I still have leaves I found in the sea during the legendary 1994 fires.
The fires are being fought by the mainly volunteer Rural Fire Brigades as well as metropolitan career fire fighters from far & wide. Help is also being sought from interstate brigades.
I have many friends & acquaintances in the wider Blue Mountains area (over 500 sq. miles), but don't think any are affected - yet. Yesterday's winds sent fire in all directions, today we expect less wind, but fire goes where it will. And we have arsonists who deliberately set fires, as well as idiots who throw butts out of cars on Fire Ban days 43 cars destroyed in Homebush fire which might have been started by a discarded cigarette.
Our summer fire season started in September - over 1000 fires in the month across the state, & predictions were the "proper" summer fire season would be "an intense and early fire season".
Coverage of fires - Sydney & New South Wales Officials say hundreds of homes may have been lost as New South Wales suffers one of its worst bushfire days in recent memory. More than 90 fires - 34 uncontained - are burning around the state, fanned by strong wind gusts and high temperatures. (read on)
Intense fires tore across south-eastern Australia in ferocious wind conditions and high temperatures, darkening Sydney's skies with smoke and ash.
Thousands of people have been evacuated as emergency warnings are in place for bushfires burning out of control near Lithgow and Springwood in the Blue Mountains, and Heatherbrae near Newcastle. (video)
From the air: NSW ravaged by fire Watch a compilation of footage from ABC crews on the ground and in the air as dry winds fan the flames of NSW's bushfire emergency.