Fires round-up

[Troyskie]

Hi all, just a quick note to let you know the following and families are confirmed safe & as far as I know, no property loss:
Pete (Oldktmdude)
Alf
Ambo Pete
Steve
Greg (Bermie BP dude)
Johno
Phil

Most are still without power, but I think Johno and Phil have water.

It is going to be a looong summer fire season.

Troyskie

[Troyskie]

Does anyone know about our VIC and SA FJ brothers?

I think Arnie and Gareth live regionally, but I don't know where.

[fj-f3a]

Thank you very much for the update Troyskie.

I personally have been trying to keep a close eye on the situation, (as best as is possible with the "Fires Near Me" website.)
It is good to know that everyone is OK and that there appears to be no property losses.

Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go, with no sign of rain in the foreseeable future.

Any further updates would be appreciated.

At times like this, I feel it is better to wait for the people affected to inform us of their situation rather than ask.

My (our, the FJ fraternity) thoughts are with you all at this time.

Of cause, if there is anything one can do, please do not hesitate to ask.

Gavin

[Urban_Legend]

Hey Troyski

Arnie is at Ararat. Not sure about Gareth.

Mark

[Tuned forks]

Having recently excited the fire season here in Northern California, my thoughts are with our Southern Hemisphere brothers and sisters enduring similar tragedies.  God speed.

Joe

[ribbert]

Hey Troyski

Arnie is at Ararat. Not sure about Gareth.

Mark

Close Mark, Arnie is at Lethbridge and Gareth is near Ararat, from memory he lives some distance from the township in the country, both of them rural.

I think Tony Mac is in Lakes Entrance.

Noel

[Troyskie]

Lakes Entrance is near the VIC fires, but it looks pretty safe to me.

Here' some links to see where the fires are:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me
http://emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/
https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=2168b5162d61432c8b3499818a2d60df
https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/home.jsp
https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx
https://myfirewatch.landgate.wa.gov.au/

Some of these maps might default to your location, so just drag the map to it's relevant state.

Just spoke to Alf again, still no power in Bermie, might be 1-2 weeks.

[Urban_Legend]

Hey Troyski

Arnie is at Ararat. Not sure about Gareth.

Mark

Close Mark, Arnie is at Lethbridge and Gareth is near Ararat, from memory he lives some distance from the township in the country, both of them rural.

I think Tony Mac is in Lakes Entrance.

Thanks Noel. I need to brush up on my geography. I did hear that the location of this years rally (Dartmouth/Omeo) is in danger.

Mark

Noel

[oldktmdude]

   Thanks for your interest and concern lads, just got the power back on so have been out of touch with you blokes. Mobile phone coverage has also be very hit and miss for the last week or so, so my apology's to those of you that have sent messages and have not received replies.
As it stands at the moment,.. we are not out of the danger period yet. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate again on Friday bringing high temps and maybe unfavourable winds. Anyway enough of that depressive shit, all the local FJ members are ok and doing fine.
   Thanks again for your interest and hope that the other FJ members are doing well and not in any danger from these horrific fires.
   Regards, Pete. 

[ribbert]

   Thanks for your interest and concern lads, just got the power back on so have been out of touch with you blokes. Mobile phone coverage has also be very hit and miss for the last week or so, so my apology's to those of you that have sent messages and have not received replies.
As it stands at the moment,.. we are not out of the danger period yet. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate again on Friday bringing high temps and maybe unfavourable winds. Anyway enough of that depressive shit, all the local FJ members are ok and doing fine.
   Thanks again for your interest and hope that the other FJ members are doing well and not in any danger from these horrific fires.
   Regards, Pete. 

Great to here Pete. Let's hope the forecast for the weekend is wrong. The scale of loss is hard to comprehend.

Thanks for the update, stay safe.

Noel

[fj-f3a]

Thanks very much for the update Pete.
Great that everyone has come out unscathed.

As Noel stated, it is hard to comprehend the devastation.
Well over half the route Alan and I took to Bermi has been impacted by these fires, from Picton to Exeter and Tumbarumba to Bemboka.

Here's hoping relief comes soon.

Gavin

[ZOA NOM]

Is it true they've arrested some 200+ arsonists? WTF?

[Troyskie]

Is it true they've arrested some 200+ arsonists? WTF?

The last I heard was 66 arrests for arson since the fires started in July, but 200 could be right as well.

Here are some of the stupid reasons the firies told me that people have started a fire:
Farmer protesting against council not allowing him to clear land
Illegal marijuana grower back-burning to save his crop
Kids fooling with matches
Kid fooling with a blowtorch
Cigarette butt thrown out of a car (actually a few of these)

The above are real reasons, but I'm sure there are more.

[ribbert]

Is it true they've arrested some 200+ arsonists? WTF?

The last I heard was 66 arrests for arson since the fires started in July, but 200 could be right as well.

Here are some of the stupid reasons the firies told me that people have started a fire:
Farmer protesting against council not allowing him to clear land
Illegal marijuana grower back-burning to save his crop
Kids fooling with matches
Kid fooling with a blowtorch
Cigarette butt thrown out of a car (actually a few of these)

The above are real reasons, but I'm sure there are more.

The last reliable figure I read was 183!

"The big picture: NSW police said in a statement Monday that officers have taken legal action against 183 people for fire-related offenses since Nov. 8, including for "allegedly discarding a lighted cigarette or match on land."

(The Australian)



Although some would be charges (as opposed to arrests) for engaging in prohibited activities on days of "Total Fire Ban" some would be for stupidity, such as the use of power tools, welders and cigarettes etc. I know for sure of several fires started by the use of angle grinders, the rest would be arrests for straight up arson, which I believe constitutes the bulk of those numbers.

Noel

[TexasDave]

Texas has had some large grass fires in the past but nothing compared to OZ. Most of these start by the roads from tossed cigarettes. When it does get hot and dry the counties declare burn bans for any fires. This includes no fireworks.

Several years ago there was a burn ban in effect for Ft Worth. There was a large fire reported in a back yard. When the police and fire departments arrived they observed several new rolls of wire still on the wooden spools. A crew of four electricians were burning the insulation off so they could turn it in for scrap. Copper wire is worth twice as much without the insulation. The only trouble was the company name was still on the spools. When the electrical companies owner was called he was only too happy to press charges against his former employees. Theft of copper wire in Texas is a felony. Having a felony conviction makes it almost impossible to get an electrical license renewed. They should have paid more attention to the burn ban.