More fires are still going on around the country. Lightning strikes without rain started a bunch more along the south coast two days ago. More houses destroyed and more people died yesterday. Over 1000 homes lost in our largest state. Hundreds more around the country. 10 million acres of land burnt so far. A major music festival surrounded by forests was cancelled, along with several new year’s fireworks displays. The navy has been called in to rescue thousands stranded on beaches as the fire approaches.
A ten ton firetruck was flipped into the air yesterday by a mini tornado created by the flames. A young fireman was trapped and died.
McPaul, 28, who died while fighting bushfires 70km east of Albury, was expecting his first child in May
www.theguardian.com
We usually have a few major fires each summer, but rarely are houses and lives lost. There’s been a long term drought, so there’s dry grass, fallen branches and dead trees everywhere and the fire travels at the same speed as the wind. Every time the wind changes it spreads in a new direction.
I remember seeing news about the recent California fires, and this is quite similar, but repeated in nearly every state of Australia.