208 houses lost

[[Pi...]]

Hi everyone. I just had to post a thread for the poor people who live across the ridge from me. 208 homes have burnt to the ground. And it is still a very un known situationl the fires are still burning and there are fire alerts for many more homes. I just feel so much for these poor families.

                Not good for my poor frayed benzo nerves!           

                More important .... Not good for them.      U never know what tomorrow will bring!

          Hugs.    Pinkee

[[ar...]]

Yeah Pinkie I'm in Sydney all hard to believe

 

Arafurapeal

[[Pl...]]

So sad!! I will keep them in my prayers! 

[[pi...]]

I'm sorry for what is happening in Australia. Be safe.

[[ma...]]

So sorry to hear this Pinkee, how awful for all those families and it must be very worrying for you, keep safe

 

Magrita xx

[[ig...]]

Keep safe, Pinkee,

and you and those affected are in our prayers.

Bestest,

Iggy 

[[Ga...]]

im so sorry for those ppl pinkee

i hope it stops soon.

 

[[Pi...]]

Thanks everyone. I am awake and it's 4.15 am. I keep thinking about the expanse of these fires. They are huge! As today unfolds they are talking about the wind picking up. It's so bizarre how the fires can take one house and leave the next. Or in some instances can take a whole row of homes on one side of the road , and leave the other side untouched .

          It's certainly a bad start to the summer season. It's only spring. I do reakon there is not enough clearing and back burning being done in colder months.

          Thx again everyone , your comments are so welcome!    Hugs Pinkee

[[Ga...]]

Thanks everyone. I am awake and it's 4.15 am. I keep thinking about the expanse of these fires. They are huge! As today unfolds they are talking about the wind picking up. It's so bizarre how the fires can take one house and leave the next. Or in some instances can take a whole row of homes on one side of the road , and leave the other side untouched .

          It's certainly a bad start to the summer season. It's only spring. I do reakon there is not enough clearing and back burning being done in colder months.

          Thx again everyone , your comments are so welcome!    Hugs Pinkee

Pinkee

that is how tornadoes here are!!

its terrifying.

my grandparents were very close to one in the 90,s.

it ripped roofs off of bldg across the street but never crossed the street to their house.

 

stay safe Pinkee

[[Ha...]]

Hey All,

 

I am about 5 to 6 kilometres from ground zero in Winmalee/Yellow Rock. My psyche is actually out that way, but the fire mostly went around his street and only took out the one house there.

 

However... I mean.. Far out.. 193 houses up around here.. It's just heartbreaking. Fortunately no lives have been lost so far that we know. The one death so far attributed too these fires has been an older man who had a heart attack while trying to defend his house. This was somewhere up the coast from here I do believe.

 

Our area here in the Blue Mountains is very much a community area. Everybody knows somebody who knows everybody else, and when these bushfires come through, we all pull together and make sure that everybody is alright.

We are prepared for these things up here. Many of us have been through this before (2001 springs to mind for me personally..), we know what to do, but nothing can prepare people for the loss of their homes.

 

It's just.. Crazyness here... Little time to stop and get emotional over it, however I was crying yesterday morning when the 193 tally came through.. Only 6km from me..  :'(

[[Ha...]]

The damage assessment so far:

 

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/file_system/attachments/State08/Attachment_20131019_1D0FD239.pdf

 

The investigation stuff so far for the causes of the blazes:

 

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/file_system/attachments/State08/Attachment_20131019_1E1AEAB1.pdf

 

 

It may have been possible that the larger fire in the Lithgow/Newnes area, which has burnt a large swath through the bush north of Bells Line Road, was started on Thursday by the Military doing exercises out at the Army base at Marangaroo. The strong winds did the rest..

 

The fires here in the City of the Blue Mountains, were caused by fallen powerlines (probaby brances fell on them) from the high winds. That is confirmed for both the Springwood Linksview Road fire, aswell as the one up at Blackheath/Mt Victoria.

 

Today was a bit of a reprieve for the morning, but then the fires flared up again in the afternoon, then calmed down over night allowing (some) a better nights rest..

 

There is the forecast of "deterioating" conditions over the next so many days. It is warmer today, fortunately the wind has not kicked up yet, but it may be expected too do so in the coming days...

 

In the last day or so, there were two young girls (12 and 13) arrested for attempting to start a fire in the Southwest of Sydney. This is the only report of arson that i have heard so for with this current run of blazes.

 

 

[[Pi...]]

Thx hashy . Good info! Stay safe hey?      Hugs Pinkee

[[ih...]]

Sorry you are having this added stress, Pinkee, stay safe. What part of the mountains are you?

[[Di...]]

I'm sending good vibes to everyone affected by these fires. I hope that things get better soon. Us Queenslanders certainly understand about natural disasters.

 

Except you have to wonder how "natural" this disaster is when you have two young girls being arrested. I hope they get their arses kicked well and truly, and not just a slap on the wrist. They need to be sent in to help people clean up, just so they can see how devastating their stupidity is for other people.

[[Ha...]]

I'm sending good vibes to everyone affected by these fires. I hope that things get better soon. Us Queenslanders certainly understand about natural disasters.

 

Except you have to wonder how "natural" this disaster is when you have two young girls being arrested. I hope they get their arses kicked well and truly, and not just a slap on the wrist. They need to be sent in to help people clean up, just so they can see how devastating their stupidity is for other people.

 

Hey Diaz

 

Yes hearing of people trying to light fires in these conditions is just very distressing.. However, none of the fires (in my area anyway) have been known to be caused intentionally by people.

 

If the State Mine Fire was started by the military training at Marangaroo, then that is unfortunate, but still not intentional.

 

The Mt Victoria fire, and the Springwood/Winmalee (Linksview Road) are both confirmed to be from fallen telegraph poles (power lines).

 

These girls are unfortunately, not thinking of consequence. They are also not from the bush themselves, and wouldn't have been brought up as much aware as the risks of bushfire...  Me and my friends here, we all went through the 2001 Boxing Day fires when we were around about that age.. Sure many of us liked mucking around with fire, but NONE of us ever contemplated trying to start a bushfire.. It is very distressing just to think about it.

 

Those girls will be in alot of sh!t over that, lets just put it that way.

 

 

Abit of an update:

 

It has warmed up more now. The wind has not increased much yet, atleast for the lower mountains here.

 

Areas such as Bell have been told to evacuate now. Bell is a very small area, not very populated (their train station is very small, and only a handful of trains stop there a day, mostly only on request).

 

The prevaling winds are more from the North West.. Which really is just not good.. That could still sweep the State Mine Fire across the Grose Valley, and all over the City of the Blue Mountains...

 

It's just still a calm before the storm in the lower mountains right now..... Everybody is just watching and waiting...

 

The next few days are predicted to be not good in regards to the weather.

 

 

 

This entire thing is very very far from over  :'(

[[Di...]]

Hi Hashy

 

I'm really sorry you guys are going through all this. I feel so devastated for the suffering and loss that people are going through, but being an animal person, I'm also feeling very upset over the wildlife that suffers too.

 

For some reason we don't seem to get the same bushfire problem in SE Qld that you guys in NSW and Victoria seem to get. My brother has lived in the bush on acreage just outside of Brisbane for about 35 years, and has never had to worry about bushfires.... touch wood. We just get cyclones and floods up here...... 

[Guest [to...]]

Hi Pinkee and Hashy,

 

 

How are you doing today 

I am in the city on the coast and the sky is hazey down here.  Very true we all know someone who lives up there and has to deal with this on a almost cyclic basis.  My heart goes out to you, I  was in the 2001 Boxing Day fires and hope it doesnt come to that again.

I wish you strength and luck

Much love and light

Towards.

[[Ha...]]

Diaz,

 

I understand the animal thing! Unfortunately it is low on the officials and even the general publics agenda right now.. It goes;

 

People;

Property & Infrastructure;

Wildlife.

 

It sucks but we have to triage things in this situation.

We're putting bowls of water out down the back, so if the fire does come through and we have to evac, there should be some water there for whatever may come scurrying out of the bushland in the aftermath.

 

The other day actually, and I got a pic of it aswell, there was a big old Bluey (Blue Tounge Lizard) that came upto our frog pond, and went down for a drink of water!! Never seen them do that before.. Kinda tells the story of how dry it's been!!!

 

Ahh this whole sitatuions is just.. hectic... It is apart of the life that we accept living in such a beautiful place however.. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful forests, landscapes, and animals on the planet... Most of us know this.. But THIS what is happening right now.. It is just too much.. Nerves will fray after another week of this.. People are already starting to get tired from it, and that is just US people at home keeping alert!! Can't imagine what our firies are going through... They have a 3 level rotation going at the moment;

 

Fire front - Fighting the main fires on...Well.. The front!, after this, people are rotated back to;

Control - They go around checking spotfires, and other burned out areas making sure things are not flaring up again. Afer this they goto;

Couch - A beer and or a cuppa coffee and some time out from all of this crazyness!

 

None of us can ever be thankful enough for the work that our fire brigades do. What they do is just amazing, and from the bottom of all our hearts here.. We thank them for what they are trying to do righ tnow.

 

 

Right now, things in my area have remained the same... The wind tried to pickup abit ago, but it has stayed down.. I am still not sure of what is happening in the upper mountains.. The State Mine Fire is the main issue right now, the Linksview Road fire has been calm all day today.

 

The next few days are the real big worry....

 

 

God help us all

[[Ha...]]

Ohh also.. All day for the past few days now.. There have been little bits of ash, flittering down out of the sky..

 

Only tiny little bits, and not very much either.. But it is definitely there... Just sit outside.. And it is like it is very very very gently snowing...

 

 

Sirens on and off most of the day, every day since Thursday, and helicopter water bombers too with the bags... There are also two of the larger Sky Cranes, and then atleast one of a smaller type of water bomber, which has a hose that is uses to hover over a water source and suck it up into its tanks.

 

 

Googles Crisis Map, mirrioring the NSW RFS map, also includes things like googles traffic map thingy..

 

http://google.org/crisismap/2013-nsw-bushfires

 

 

[[Pi...]]

Ihope , I am at the base of the mountains at a place called Kurmond . As hashy said if those winds pick up we could have probs all thru the mts. It's so scary. As for the animals... Heartbreaking. !!!!!

That's great hashy, putting water out for the animals! I can see the bluey in my minds eye!

          Anyone who would start a fire is sick in their head. They really are! Fires cause so much devastation. Again I feel for those poor families who have already lost their lives possessions.

            Many people will be frightened and I find that very sad! I want to sweep in and pour water on these fires . I want to fix it all! I wonder if there are any other BBs living near us hash?

              Thanks for the concern u guys.      Hugs Pinkee

[[Ha...]]

Not sure about other people living here Pinky.. Maybe, but hopefully not! Benzo withdrawal is stressful enough.. Bushfires of this kind of intensity are just... Too much man.. Just too much..  :'(

 

There is just no telling how long things will go for.. But we're all sticking together, making sure everybody is alright and are going to make it through, and we will.. we will make it through.. Just one day, one hour, one minute at a time... These days are long, and everybody is growing fatigued.. God some rain would be nice.. But it is not happening.

 

Just so weird seeing and hearing all of these places on the news all of the time.. Places ive been many times, places I was just driving through last week!

 

 

They're talking about on the news right now, of the potential of the 3 main fires around here linking up and causing a "megafire"... Yeah that's abit of a buzzword. But still.. Freaky to hear them say it.

[[Ha...]]

The State Premier has also officially declared a state of emergency as of this afternoon.

 

This gives ur emergency services more powers;

The right to order people to evacuate.

The right to demolish buildings,

and it prevents people from disobeying orders from the emergency services.

 

Ahh yeah.. Welcome to the Australian bush folks!! Awesome for 9 years and 9 months of the decade...

[[Pi...]]

Oh boy. I know it's bad hashy. I hope that mega fire doesn't eventuate. My heart is broken for the people who have lost so much. I can't seem to stop worrying for everyone.   

               

[[ar...]]

It sure is horrible, Pinkee my son thinks will get worse, sure glad we didn't do a "tree change", but live close to Sydney CBD, though Blue Mountains has it's attractions, the cleaner air & community living, "over rat race need a second set of teeth" Sydney. Hope most people who lost their homes are well insured, although not a lot of faith in insurance, myself.

 

Arafurapearl.

[[Ha...]]

Hey Arafura,

 

This is basically the trade off for living up here.. All of those nice, bush related things.. The trade off is the threat of these kinds of fires every decade or so.

 

Then again, the State Government wants to turn the lower mountains into Medium Density.. So that kind of defeats the purpose for everybody who lives up here. That will turn this place into Western Sydney.. Figuratively, and literally... Bleh.. Politics..

 

Right now.. Things are kinda quiet.. The fire status' has not changed much since earlier in the night.. I just can't sleep knowing what is very likely ahead.. It is very distressing. I am exhausted, and I just can't find the sleep, so I am having an entire pot of Sommargott (A Swedish herbal tea lol).

 

It's going to be a long week..