Hell of a day...
- Started
- Last post
- 72 Responses
- BusterBoy0
Speaking to my brother in law yesterday who lives in Kinglake...they literally had zero warning. It's hard to comprehend. It's not like fires that people are used to...things 'catching fire' and spreading. It is literally a fire storm...huge balls of flames fanned by the strong winds. These storms travel so fast, unless you have a bit of warning, there's no hope. They roll over the top of the ground incinerating everything in their path.
- vespa0
Just watching this on the news, they were saying about how firefighters managed to get one fire under control, only for it to be deliberately re-lit by someone.
These arsonists are murderers.
- LeRoi0
Whats the big deal with burning off to protect these residential areas?
It comes with population growth and urban development. These areas werent exactly sparsely populated.
- BusterBoy0
- amazingtoe_knee
- A milestone inhuman-koala relationsTheBIueOne
- bad ass bearsBattleAxe
- its pretty amazing.akrokdesign
- I love stuff like this. Awesome.BuddhaHat
- LeRoi0
Extract from an online article relating to the arrest of a suspected arsonist:
Police have questioned the man in relation to the Churchill fires that killed at least 21 people.
No charges have yet been laid.
Police say he will be taken to court via an underground tunnel from Morewell police station.
- MrOneHundred0
I think because the legislation covers National Parks and State Forests (I believe), and was put in place a number of years ago, and the urban sprawl into these areas is relatively recent, the line is blurred somewhat. I would love to hear from someone who knows the ins and out of the laws on this, but it seems obvious that years of highly combustible material has been allowed to accumulate, which is why the fires are intense as they are.
I know high temps and strong winds are a factor too, but if you remove one of the variables, I think the threat to human life would be much less. Again, just my opinion.
- didnt they said in 83 that this would never happen again.. and it has.LeRoi
- Yes. I don’t want to go on a rant, because I don have 100% of the facts, but I believe the things I have...MrOneHundred
- ...talked about would make these types of fires improbable.MrOneHundred
- thelukeandrews0
was reading an article in the paper this morning about a guy who was so badly burned his skin was peeling off his body, was carrying a burned baby saying "please help my baby!! my wife and daughter just brurned to death!!"
wow.
- chossy0
I wonder if in the future people could have a hole somewhere near the house or a special place where they can all congregate, which was fireproof or something?.... not sure if holes are the right idea it might end up acting like an oven?.
- Nathan_Adams0
Unfortunately, arsonists that light fires that cause a loss of life can only face up to a maximum penalty of 25 years. (and only increased from 2 years to 15 years for not lethal fires in 2006).
Really, these morons should be treated with the same disdain as terrorists.
- RoyBoyII0
126 now confirmed dead..
:(
- akrokdesign0
so sad. so sad. :-(
- NotByHand0
My prayers go out to everyone affected by this.
- slappy0
They are saying the arsonists could be facing murder charges on our local coverage. Why do these asswipes always wait for the hottest days on record to light fires.
- Andy_ssw0
Was thinking of donating a bit of time to actually help someone in person. Anyone in Melbourne heard of a way to do it? i heard ot on the radio but can't remember if it was an email or online?
- http://www.redcross.…utopian
- Would like to do the same... The Red + are saying they're not putting the call out for volunteers just yet..LeRoi
- vanilla_cam0
are koala bears that tame? or did he just need a drink that bad he didn't give a shit?
- i think its cause he/she was real tiered and thirsty.akrokdesign
- Desperate for water. They're not normally quite that friendly.BuddhaHat
- normally they'll either run away or scratch the bejeezuz outta you. This poor lil guy was super desperate!!thelukeandrews
- BuddhaHat0
In the car just then I was listening to Malcolm Turnbull speak in parliament after he'd been out to visit the region this morning. He sounded like he was about to cry for half of it. The treasurer came on straight after and is talking relief packages already.
The other thing he mentioned is that in one part of Australia we've got a metre of rain falling in less than 4 days, and in another we've got bushfires destroying everything in its path. Mother Nature's going to town on us right now...
- BusterBoy0
Just spoke to my wife. Her brother's (my brother in law) house is apparently one of only 3 houses in the entire area to have not burnt down.
It's friggin amazing. The house is all timber and pretty overgrown so no idea how it survived. As I said, just fucken random.
I feel kind of guilty right now. On Saturday I was sitting in a pool watching the howling winds blow smoke over Melbourne thinking about those poor souls that must be dealing with all they had to.
Just heard news about a woman 38 weeks pregnant found dead curled up under a blanket.
Another story about a man who packed his family into the car at home...wife and two kids. He went inside to get something, came out to find the car had exploded into flames. His family all dead.
So tragic.
- BusterBoy0
Koalas can be pretty feral when they want to be. Normally they wouldn't particularly like you getting that close - they can scratch to buggery.
And for everyone...they are 'Koalas', NOT 'Koala Bears'.
- I think they're more closely related to pigs than bears...
LeRoi - general use, koala bear (as opposed to koala) is widely used. Zoologists, however, regard this form as incorrect on the grounds that, despite appearances, koalas are completely unrelated to bears.akrokdesign
- the grounds that, despite appearances, koalas are completely unrelated to bears.akrokdesign
- i don't even like the term "panda bear"sputnik2
- How much can a Koala bear?BannedKappa
- It may be widely used but it is wrong.BusterBoy
- I think they're more closely related to pigs than bears...