@Anthony Some f#%kers were trying to light fires on Canberra’s outskirts on New Years Day. Thankfully they weren’t successful and are in Police custody. No doubt there will be lots of discussion when this is all over. I think we need to look at the impact of the ‘improved’ fire warnings we receive which, paraphrased, sound like: ‘fire conditions will be extreme this Saturday, really bad day for a fire’ which just incites some f#%ker to light one. So the efforts to keep us save may also be increasing the hazards. We need some good minds put to the task.
The b@st@rd$ that light these fires need to be dealt with to the expectations of the affected people. Further these b@st@rd$ should be made to physically assist in the clean up, and in particular the clean up of the dead stock and native animals. Maybe then they will loose their need to light fires for kicks. Cheers Pete
The conditions you folks have and people are lighting fires ON PURPOSE? Start charging it as what it actually is: Attempted murder.
Jeez that's frankly unbelievable. Maybe you should just throw 'em back into the fires. Think of it as evolution in action.
Ffs! Do these people have no brains, no slightest concept of the consequences? I hope they’re charged and sentenced without mercy.
No they haven't. Like over here people throw (heavy) fireworks at fire fighters, ambulance personal and even a funeral procession.
Emergency management said today that the area burnt (so far) in Victoria, is larger than Belgium. I have been in a lot of the areas burnt, and they were really beautiful places, with great scenery, and 4 wheel driving tracks.
Live: Communities wake to devastation after bushfires burn through the night Live: Communities wake to devastation after bushfires burn through the night
I saw some images on the news last night that really brought this tragedy home. There was the burned out remains of a 4x4 and trailer, the commentary said the bodies of the family were found near by..... I can’t begin to imagine the suffering. I don’t see myself as a praying man, I said a prayer last night for Australia.
Thank you @BigStevie for your thoughts and prayer. The thousands that are in crisis need all the help they can get. Cheers Pete
So first you all burn down the place, then floaded it all and, now a dust storm with a width of 300km ?
@WimVe ...and some of the big fires are still burning! It’s looking something like the biblical “10 Plagues of Egypt”. My cousin, who owns a property near Dubbo, was in the dust storm. Tony
Yesterday at 1pm we got hit with a hail storm that came and went in 10 minutes. Imagine big outdoor car parks in our CBD with 1/2 to 2/3 of cars with significant damage. Every member of my work team had their car windscreen broken, side mirrors smashed off and/or dozens of dents to bonnets, etc. (my car escaped as parked under cover). We really are wondering what will be next. At least the air is fit to breathe at present.
If someone deliberately starts a fire in a situation like you have in Oz, it should be treated as attempted murder, extreme animal cruelty and grievous bodily harm! I hope everyone's OK - I hear that rain is expected but not for a while.
@ColinG Arson is weird and criminal, but in the recent Australian bushfires, arson was a minor contribution to the vast extent of the fires. The major fires were started by lightning and some were accidental. Arson usually occurs in or near populated areas and roads, and thus the fires are often able to be controlled. Tony
Ahhh, thanks for the clarification, Tony. Quite often these stories start and take on a life of their own.
