Roast kangaroos: or, Australia's big fire

[pesja]

When are you damn aussies gonna learn NOT to play with matchsticks!?

 

[Tibertus]

On warm days vapourised Eucalyptus oil rises above the bush to create the characteristic distant blue haze of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode[4][7]) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. The dead bark and fallen branches are also flammable. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires via lignotubers and epicormic buds under the bark.

To give you an idea of how common bush fires are in Australia, some species of Eucalypts only ever release seeds when burnt.

A lot of plants do that, it's a preventative measure, that way forests don't get overcrowded. All the different pines around here do the same thing with the cones, they won't open and release their seeds until burnt. On top of that, the sap of the trees is extremely flammable.

 

[jlgx50]

Well it looks like all the fires are starting to go out now, you guys see in the paper  that some guys were arrested for trying to start the fires up again ?

 

[Tibertus]

That's really just sick. They're no better than murderers with how many people have died in those fires.

 

[El Georgeo McFudge]

Ruddy described them as "Mass Murderers" and then had a cry.

 

[Sir Saladin]

Why would anyone want to set more fires? I like Men At Work as a musical group. Where women glow and men chunder.

 

[Elenmmare]

Why would anyone want to set more fires? I like Men At Work as a musical group. Where women glow and men chunder.

Seconded. One of my favourites, actually.

(Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding... doo do do do doo.... [cue Koala bear scene]... doo do do do...)

 

[Gamemako]

Just wondering how these fires in Australia got so out of hand in the first place.

A very dry, hot climate, huge amounts of bush and a relatively small population to protect it. Add in strong wind, spotfires, arsonists, lightening etc.

Holy **** Zaro! Really? No way! I had no ****ing idea what the climate was there. Oh wait... we have the same exact problems here.

Seriously though, we rely very heavily on aerial firefighting to fight fires, due to the sparse population, dry and hot climate, and the speed fires can travel here with the strong late summer winds.

Actually, for Vic that's ****ing toasting. Vic and NSW have generally temperate climates; average high temperature in Sydney in February (lawl, southern hemisphere) isn't even 80F (IIRC, it's 26C). Come live in the southeastern United States and the temps average 95F in July (35C to those who can't read Fahrenheit). Not to mention humidity. The temperatures have been really, really high lately (nearing 40C) in Oz, though, and a combination of climatological factors and the aforementioned human influence have made a real mess of things.

 

[thesneakster]

Nearing 40? heck no, we took 40, bashed it and threw it out the window. Nearing 50 is a closer description of the weather before and during the fires.

Its also worth noting that it was a little hotter the more inland you go.

 

[Lt. of the tower]

Well it looks like all the fires are starting to go out now, you guys see in the paper  that some guys were arrested for trying to start the fires up again ?

Is he the one charged with causing 21 deaths? Or another one?

 

[Gamemako]

Nearing 40? heck no, we took 40, bashed it and threw it out the window. Nearing 50 is a closer description of the weather before and during the fires.

[Image removed]

Its also worth noting that it was a little hotter the more inland you go.

Ouch. Anyway, the last report I read probably just got it wrong; I had read that it had only gotten up to 38C. I think that was on Tagesshau or DW as I seem seem to remember it being in German, but I could be wrong. By the way, nice 24C drop between the 7th and 8th. How much further inland did it get hot? I can't think of any reasonably-sized towns north of Melbourne.

And out of curiosity, how far along is air conditioning adoption in Melbourne these days? I remember it used to be about 50/50 in Sydney, but I'm sure things have changed, and I haven't a clue whether it is more prevalent in Melbourne.

 

[jlgx50]

Well it looks like all the fires are starting to go out now, you guys see in the paper  that some guys were arrested for trying to start the fires up again ?

Is he the one charged with causing 21 deaths? Or another one?

I believe that it was anther one, there was 2 guys wandering around looking suss pishes or something, when the police first questioned them and asked them what they were doing the first thing they said was " not setting fires". 

 

[thesneakster]

And out of curiosity, how far along is air conditioning adoption in Melbourne these days? I remember it used to be about 50/50 in Sydney, but I'm sure things have changed, and I haven't a clue whether it is more prevalent in Melbourne.

I'd imagine its getting there, but according to the news i heard, the actual power generating infrastructure is lacking :p

Not up here in Brisbane though. we've had nice mild high 20 days for all of feb, pretty much. only started to get a bit of rain yesterday.

 

[Lt. of the tower]

Only started to get a bit of rain yesterday.

Not a week ago it was ridicously hot here in Sydney and now for a few days it have been cold and rainy. The weather is quite strange.

 

[PurplePuppy]

To give you an idea of how common bush fires are in Australia, some species of Eucalypts only ever release seeds when burnt.

That is ****ing awesome!

 

[Lt. of the tower]

To give you an idea of how common bush fires are in Australia, some species of Eucalypts only ever release seeds when burnt.

That is ****ing awesome!

Yeah that is right. Some of the seed pop open that way. I remember learning about that in science last year or the year before.

 

[Tibertus]

To give you an idea of how common bush fires are in Australia, some species of Eucalypts only ever release seeds when burnt.

That is ****ing awesome!

Yeah that is right. Some of the seed pop open that way. I remember learning about that in science last year or the year before.

LOTS of plants do this... it's an overpopulation counter-measure.

 

[AgentSword]

with all these bushfires...could madmax become a reality? I put my vote down for yes.

 

[Tibertus]

I thought it WAS reality... you mean that isn't happening in Australia now?

 

[italiano]

Actually, for Vic that's ****ing toasting. Vic and NSW have generally temperate climates; average high temperature in Sydney in February (lawl, southern hemisphere) isn't even 80F (IIRC, it's 26C). Come live in the southeastern United States and the temps average 95F in July (35C to those who can't read Fahrenheit). Not to mention humidity. The temperatures have been really, really high lately (nearing 40C) in Oz, though, and a combination of climatological factors and the aforementioned human influence have made a real mess of things.

The temps don't average 95f in July, you're out by 10f or so. I'm not sure why you're suggesting that temperatures are very high lately, since they have a history of regularly being high.