Bushfire season 2023-2024

[novaphile]

It's starting to look like we're in for a horror summer.

El Niño has been declared by the Bureau of Meteorology, and the Indian Ocean dipole is showing double the value that is usual relied on to be 'positive'.

When both of these things line up (IOD affects the South and West of Australia, and EN affects the East Coast) we tend to have a really hot summer.

 

[rjh01]

It's starting to look like we're in for a horror summer.

El Niño has been declared by the Bureau of Meteorology, and the Indian Ocean dipole is showing double the value that is usual relied on to be 'positive'.

When both of these things line up (IOD affects the South and West of Australia, and EN affects the East Coast) we tend to have a really hot summer.

I suggest the bushfires would be as bad as the fires in 2019/20 season. And they were bad. Could even be worse.

 

[Dabop]

First aircraft downed...
In S/E Qld

PID:: 2023-09-20 18:00 Firefighing Chopper crash..
This chopper was working on the incidents in the Cunningham's Gap area..
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) can confirm that a helicopter undertaking water-bombing activities has crashed into a dam in Tarome, in the Scenic Rim area, this afternoon.
The incident occurred at a dam on a private property shortly before 3pm. It’s understood that the helicopter was undertaking water collection at the time of the crash and was hovering close to the water when it hit the surface and rolled.
The aircraft was engaged by QFES to work in support of a fire burning at Tregony, which has been burning the past several days.
The pilot, and sole occupant of the helicopter, was able to escape the wreckage and swim to shore. He is currently being assessed by paramedics. He is believed to be uninjured.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and QFES will assist the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) with its investigation. No further information is available at this time.

From F/B (its a members only F/B group I am in 'Darling Downs News and Weather')

 

[Dabop]

I suggest the bushfires would be as bad as the fires in 2019/20 season. And they were bad. Could even be worse.

That's what many fear- there's already been a large number of fires local to me (S/E Qld), including one that had ten QLD RBFS units attend, plus one that had a town evacuated last Sunday...
https://www.abc.net.au/emergency/warning/qld/AUREMER-f3c0764b988414db2c480404ba9af7be
And its only September...
(the bushfires don't tend to really start cranking until the end of summer, when everything has dried up from the heat...)

 

[arthwollipot]

******.

Police charge man with deliberately lighting 18 fires during extreme NT bushfire season

A 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged for allegedly deliberately lighting 18 bushfires in the rural Darwin area, with police investigating his possible involvement in dozens more.

The arson arrest comes amid a horror Northern Territory fire season, which has already seen at least two homes lost, and a 1.4 million hectare blaze rage across the remote Barkly district.

NT Police and firefighters have condemned the man's alleged actions, as dry and hostile weather conditions continue to keep emergency services on alert from the Top End to Central Australia.

 

[The Atheist]

******.

Police charge man with deliberately lighting 18 fires during extreme NT bushfire season

It's truly bizarre how that happens. Serious mental illness.

 

[Dabop]

It's truly bizarre how that happens. Serious mental illness.

Sadly far too common...

This lot happened about an hours drive away from me...

 

[novaphile]

******.

Police charge man with deliberately lighting 18 fires during extreme NT bushfire season

I agree with the sadly common statement.

We've just had an ex CFS volunteer found guilty for lighting bushfires.

And... back when I was a teenager volunteering for CREST and ARES (civilian emergency service radio volunteers) we had a brief period where our mobile personnel were recording vehicle registration numbers at bush fires and grass fires.

There was a suspicion, that was later proven, that one of the CFS guys was lighting fires so that he could be the first to report the fire, or always one of the first to attend.

Police had their suspicions and asked us to take note of who arrived and when, especially if we had mobiles nearby when fires were reported.

Eventually they had a very short list of suspects, and started to surreptitiously follow those suspects with unmarked vehicles. (Police officers, not my guys)

Caught the guy in the act, petrol can and lighter at the scene as the fire was lit.

There is an ongoing police operation, that restarts every year, to keep close tabs on known arsonists in South Australia, to keep them from lighting fires.

In a sane world, they'd be in gaol, but somebody once said: "No" to them as a child, so nothing they do is their fault.

 

[lionking]

Sadly it looks like wolli’s fears might come to pass:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-01/gippsland-fires-burn-briagolong-loch-sport-erica/102922014

An emergency warning is in place for a fire near Briagolong. Watch and act warnings are in place for Loch Sport, Merrijig, Iguana Creek, Stockdale, and Cobbannah.

Emergency warnings for Forge Creek and the communities of Rawson, Walhalla, and Erica have now been downgraded to an advice message.

All of those places in Gippsland and the Victorian high country are gems, but if Walhalla is burnt, part of Victoria’s soul will be lost.

 

[arthwollipot]

I'm seeing both fire and flood warnings for the southeast right now.

 

[arthwollipot]

It's starting to look like we're in for a horror summer.

Can someone give this man the million dollars?

NSW fires: premier warns of ‘horror summer’ as three homes destroyed in Bega Valley bushfire

Emergency downgraded but RFS warns residents near Bermagui not to be complacent amid fire across more than 5,000 hectares


Three homes have been destroyed by fires on the New South Wales south coast, prompting warnings from Anthony Albanese and Chris Minns for Australians to prepare for a “horror summer”.

The NSW Rural Fire Service confirmed the property losses on Wednesday afternoon after the Coolagolite blaze ripped through the Bega Valley late on Tuesday night.

The fire burnt more than 5,000 hectares before being downgraded following a southerly change that eased conditions.

 

[novaphile]

Can someone give this man the million dollars?

NSW fires: premier warns of ‘horror summer’ as three homes destroyed in Bega Valley bushfire

 

[arthwollipot]

I keep thinking I should be posting updates to this thread, just in case someone thinks it might not be all that bad.

Two dead and 16 homes lost in Tara as Queensland bushfire emergency continues

Authorities have confirmed 16 homes have been destroyed and a second person has died in the Tara region on Queensland's Western Downs as firefighters continue their battle to control several major bushfires.

A man died on Tuesday night while trying to protect his property in Tara and a woman died yesterday after suffering a cardiac arrest.

A dry lightning storm caused firefighters in the region to scramble overnight.

 

[novaphile]

I keep thinking I should be posting updates to this thread, just in case someone thinks it might not be all that bad.

Two dead and 16 homes lost in Tara as Queensland bushfire emergency continues

Dry lightning storms are terrifying.

Forgive me if I've told this story before, but it scared the crap out of me and is burned in...

Was returning to South Australia, via The Hay Plain, and saw vertical strike after vertical strike on both sides of the highway, going off into the distance on both sides. Every strike resulting in a column of smoke and a spreading grass fire.

Pulled in to a servo at the next town and asked the woman behind the counter to call the CFS to report what I'd just seen. (prior to me having a mobile phone)

She said: "They know honey, they're already dealing with thousands of fires, and their advice is to keep driving and get out of the area as soon as possible."

 

[arthwollipot]

Ouch.

 

[lionking]

Yesterday I heard someone (I think from NSW) on the radio saying “we have been coming here for 10 years with no fire, so why is this happening?” as if it’s some great conspiracy.

It should be simple for someone with an operating brain that if there is extreme fire danger (as there was in NSW this week) re-think plans to travel there. If it’s code red, go somewhere else with great urgency. We have packed photos and important documents and will heads into the city if a code red is declared.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Dry lightning storms are terrifying.

Forgive me if I've told this story before, but it scared the crap out of me and is burned in...

Was returning to South Australia, via The Hay Plain, and saw vertical strike after vertical strike on both sides of the highway, going off into the distance on both sides. Every strike resulting in a column of smoke and a spreading grass fire.

Pulled in to a servo at the next town and asked the woman behind the counter to call the CFS to report what I'd just seen. (prior to me having a mobile phone)

She said: "They know honey, they're already dealing with thousands of fires, and their advice is to keep driving and get out of the area as soon as possible."

Have lived near there. They have one or two CFS trucks to cover many thousands of hectares. Sometimes they have to hope that the cleared lanes next to the paddock fence lines, and creeks, will act as fire breaks...

 

[novaphile]

So...

It's 11:15am, and I'm just back from walking Ivan.

It's currently 36.7°C (98°F)

We stuck to the shade wherever possible, but he's very happy to be back home and cool.

(Kudos to my local council which has watering stations along the way BTW.)

Forecast is for 40°C today, but I won't be surprised if we go higher.

Even for Adelaide, this is unusual for Spring.

 

[Dabop]

I forgot to put it up here, but recently we had a HUGE bushfire at Tara (which is fairly close by to me) which at one point threatened the town, and had over 200 people evacuated to Dalby, with over another hundred still caught in Tara when the highway to Dalby was closed by fire...

In all, many were stuck sleeping in their cars for a week, and over 60 houses were destroyed by fire, and two deaths...

The grey is the burnt out area involved...
Mind you- at the time it still wasn't even summer yet...

It's going to be a long summer.....

A shot of one, to give you an idea of the scale, most of those gumtrees are 8-10m in height...

 

[lionking]

I forgot to put it up here, but recently we had a HUGE bushfire at Tara (which is fairly close by to me) which at one point threatened the town, and had over 200 people evacuated to Dalby, with over another hundred still caught in Tara when the highway to Dalby was closed by fire...

In all, many were stuck sleeping in their cars for a week, and over 60 houses were destroyed by fire, and two deaths...

[qimg]https://i.postimg.cc/cLrH0jhB/Screenshot-from-2023-11-03-21-25-53.png[/qimg]
The grey is the burnt out area involved...
Mind you- at the time it still wasn't even summer yet...

It's going to be a long summer.....

A shot of one, to give you an idea of the scale, most of those gumtrees are 8-10m in height...

[qimg]https://i.postimg.cc/59P0FbXM/393841454-1012045666710820-1661045994361815391-n.jpg[/qimg]

Sorry to hear this. Talking about Victoria, unlike other states we haven’t had a hot day yet. Just over 30C yesterday in most regions, and back to 20C today.

The recent bushfire summers saw the bush dry out in winter, with Black Saturday being tinder dry in the months before. This winter has been wet and the bush is very green. I know it can dry out quickly, but I’m cautiously optimistic.