Victorian bushfires

stephenite · February 08, 2009, 10:46:03 PM

Haven't seen another thread so thought I'd just post it up. 108 people have perished in this awful tragedy, whole villages have quite simply burnt to the ground. Some of the TV footage is just unreal in what has been called Australia's greatest natural disaster

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/many-good-people-lie-dead/2009/02/09/1234027889048.html

ziggysego · February 08, 2009, 10:54:34 PM

I've been following that on the news today and finding it shocking.

Hard to believe that some ****ers are lighting them on purpose!

RedandGreenSniper · February 08, 2009, 10:58:49 PM

Ya beat me to it Stephenite. Can't believe this. Shocking altogether. One question though and the answer might be obvious but how have so many people been caught? Would there not be enough warning to escape in the knowledge the fire was coming in your direction?

stephenite · February 08, 2009, 11:15:34 PM

Quote from: RedandGreenSniper on February 08, 2009, 10:58:49 PM
Ya beat me to it Stephenite. Can't believe this. Shocking altogether. One question though and the answer might be obvious but how have so many people been caught? Would there not be enough warning to escape in the knowledge the fire was coming in your direction?

I know what you're saying RGS, interviews with some of the survivors have stated that the flames came though like a bullet. Reports are that it carried up one of the mountains in 4 minutes - hard to imagine

DownFanatic · February 09, 2009, 12:10:12 AM

I see Beechworth was badly hit. That's Ned Kelly country. Went through Beechworth last May. It was Autumn time there and I have to say that it was one of the nicest places I have ever seen. For me, rural Victoria was the nicest part of Australia I saw.

The place were I was working was called Falls Creek and it was a ski resort up in the mountians in northeast Victoria. However, during the Summer time in the past few years they have been on the end of some really bad bush fires. It was incredible to see the amount of precautions and plans they had in place for such events. However, they still reserved real fear for such events. One man told me that you wouldnt believe the speed that these fires can travel at.

Bad news.

DrinkingHarp · February 09, 2009, 12:20:43 AM

Heard they found a family or two roasted in their cars trying to escape, what a horrific way to pass.

The wind and dry timber/bush and temp determine the speed of a fire.

How fast can a fire spread?
How quickly can a person run?
The Boonoke Fire in 1987 burnt out 120,000 hectares in the Riverina, New South Wales and is one of the fastest recorded grassland fires. The midday temperature was 40.6°C, relative humidity of 7%, wind speed of 44.5 km/hr and had a head fire rate of spread of 23 km/hr.

Donovan Bailey, the current world record holder, completed a 100 metre sprint in 9.84 seconds (average 36.6 km/hr). Provided that the smoke did not fill their lungs or sting their eyes so badly to temporarily blind them, someone running at this speed would be able to outrun the fastest fire over a distance of 100 metres.

However, lacking the benefit of years of training for 10 explosive seconds on the track, and weighed done by our bushfire attire (heavy boots and overalls), many of us would be lucky to run at half the speed of Bailey, let alone as fast as the Boonoke fire!

Courtesy of : Liam Fogarty
New Zealand Forest Research Institute

Extract from Fire Technology Transfer Note Number14 December 1997 - New Zealand Forest Research Institute.

stephenite · February 09, 2009, 05:24:36 AM

Death toll now at 130 and expected to rise

Aerlik · February 09, 2009, 07:29:07 AM

It was so quick and so bad that the waterbombers couldn't get next or near the fires. Terrible tragedy, and has had alot of people in Perth on edge too.

stephenite · February 09, 2009, 08:56:01 AM

ABC radio reported that the fire swept through Kinglake at 120Km per hour

Declan · February 09, 2009, 09:16:52 AM

Frightening stuff altogether

thejuice · February 09, 2009, 09:35:48 AM

Its absolutely awful. If only we could send a bit of our rain their way. With the dry conditions all that vegetation just goes up in seconds.

Aerlik · February 10, 2009, 08:52:59 AM

Quote from: stephenite on February 09, 2009, 08:56:01 AM
ABC radio reported that the fire swept through Kinglake at 120Km per hour

I find that very suspect and am surprised that the ABC reported that. Sure there might have been gusts of 120km/h as the wind is only intensified by the sucking up of the oxygen by the fire, but doubtful.

I have stopped watching 7,9 or 10 as the levels of crap sensationalism they are stooping to to gain an audience is making me want to thump the likes of that creton David Koch and that t**t sidekick of his Mel I-speak-for-the-nation. Then there's that smarmy Karl Stefonovic on 9. Fcuk. Mind you it could be worse, it could have been Tracey Grim (reaper) shaw.

It has just now been reported that 181 are now confirmed dead. My God this is terrible.

under the bar · February 10, 2009, 09:17:45 AM

Animals survive bush fires by burrowing into the ground. If there's such a risk how come these rural houses dont have small underground bunkers 6-8 feet below the surface?

armaghniac · February 10, 2009, 10:15:04 AM

Good point, under the bar, something like the Tornado shelters founder in the US might help. Mind you a fire might raise issues, it would be bloody hot in one and there could be oxygen depletion.

thejuice · February 10, 2009, 10:38:07 AM

There's talk that they might be deliberate fires. What kind of sick bastards would do it. Hope to God its a natural occurrance before I lose all faith in humanity.