[News] We can see this clearly from our house...

[moonvoice]

Fire threatens Swan Valley homes.






A few of the neighbours have come out to watch. It is oddly beautiful. There are, however, spot fires everywhere.

I hope everyone is safe.

Comments

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

I assumed that there was a certain native burn requirement, but that anthropogenic effects also influenced matters. When we get raging forest fires here it's thanks to 200 years of fire suppression resulting from European colonization. The assumption was always fire = bad as opposed to fire regime = natural. Consequently a lot of forest is out of phase, and enormous amounts of tinder have built up. Of course logging companies also use this as an excuse to log, ignoring the fact that the natural burn regime bears little resemblance to the effects of logging. :P

People will also *insist* on building where they shouldn't, and not taking proper fire precautions -- because they're ugly, frankly, you have to keep all growth a fair distance from the house. It's not so bad in suburban developments where there are ample fire trucks and the safety crew can reach, but it's a real issue in more remote locations, where the fire can swallow homes and nothing and no one can stop it.