Bushfire Threat !

This past weekend we had a serious bushfire in Sydney's south west that crossed Heathcote road and pushed into the Georges river national park, forcing homeowners from Menai to Alfords point to evacuate in the face of a storm of burning embers.  This was a major fire and it had the potential to sweep out of control and destroy whole suburbs.

Our fire fighting services deployed convoys of fire fighting vehicles and personnel were stretched to the limit to bring this fire under control and once again the turning point was often the efforts of massive aircraft bombing the fire front with tonnes of fire suppressant, together with helicopters delivering water where it was most needed.  Along with residents who remained to protect their properties, this fire saw the deployment of several thousand firefighters who risked their lives in this emergency situation.

The cost is yet to be estimated.  It was a mix of paid fire fighters and the heroic volunteer brigades who train and give their time for free and those massive aircraft cost thousands of dollars an hour to deploy, but the end result was no homes lost and no deaths.  It is sad to realise that the most probable cause of that fire was some idiot with a match who deliberately set it ablaze for their own personal satisfaction.

It is not unusual for some unfortunate people to lose their lives in bushfires in which case the firebug could be charged with homicide, but that rarely seems to happen.  At best the charge would be " manslaughter " because that death was not premeditated because the outcome of the fire would be unknown.

The chances of tracking down the culprit are constantly improving.  More homes have security cameras and more cars have dashcams which can reveal anybody suspiciously leaving the start of a fire scene, and fire investigators have the ability to accurately determine the starting point of fires. This is a crime that needs a definitive punishment as a deterrent.  Unfortunately, the fire starters are often children seeking excitement, or adults suffering from mental illnesses. It is a fact of life that sane people do not light bushfires.

Lightening strikes are the cause of some fires, but in many cases it is human carelessness.   A discarded cigarette butt or an unwisely placed camp fire, but the hot exhaust of a car pulled off the road into dry grass can start a blaze.   We urge caution, but we will never be free of summer wild fires and the damage they cause.

We should be thankful for the volunteers that respond to these emergencies, together with the support helpers who setup relief stations which supply sandwiches and cold drinks to sustain the firefighters,  In this latest fire the  Kirrawee veterinary hospital used social media to offer care for the pets of those forced to evacuate. They made their facilities free for forty-eight hours to relieve the strain of finding care for pets when an emergency evacuation was in place, and that must have been a great relief to many people.

Bushfires have always been part of the Australian summer scene.  What is heartening is the community response that comes together when danger threatens.