Bush Fires

[Rodzilla]

white people again causing trouble and lighting fires, I guarantee Sudanese immigrants are wondering why the media aren't saying that there is a white problem

 

[Wolfmother]

Absolutely. It is sad that we have such reactive governments and not proactive ones. Hopefully they learn from this year and listen to people who know wtf they are doing when it comes to fire prevention.


...

our government sucks at being reactive too. There was no increase made to our fleet of aerial fire fighting even though the facts were presented to them and were advised on upgrading the fleet in April 2019 by the nsw fire service

 

[maroondog72]

NSW bushfires: 24 accused firebugs charged over horror bushfire season
Hunter Valley man Jake Brown (pictured), 23, has been charged after he allegedly emerged from bushland with soot on his face. He is among the 24 accused firebugs charged during the horror bushfire season and police have vowed to catch other lowlife arsonists. MAP OF SUSPECTED ARSONIST FIRES

Mark Morri, Nick Hansen, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
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January 7, 2020 11:21pm

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A Hunter Valley man who allegedly emerged from bushland with soot all over his face is among the alleged firebugs charged this summer.

Police were on Greta St, Aberdare, when they allegedly saw Jake Brown, 23, emerge from the bush at 11pm on December 27 around the same time as a fire broke out in the area.

He was charged with two counts of intentionally cause fire and be reckless as to its spread, the second charge relating to another fire earlier in the afternoon in nearby Cessnock.

Jake Brown, 23, outside his Aberdare home on Tuesday. Picture: John Grainger
Brown’s father Graham told The Daily Telegraph he believed his son was innocent.

“He had nothing to do with the fires … he went to look at the fire that’s all. He had nothing to do with it,’’ he said.

Communities have been devastated this summer by the suspected work of arsonists.

Police allege a 15-year-old used a cigarette lighter to set fire to bushes in Wyoming on the Central Coast in December and are investigating whether an earlier blaze which damaged a caravan was also linked.

He was charged with cause or set fire to the property of another, or Crown. Teenage firebugs are also believed to have lit bush at Turramurra on November 12.

A resident walks in front of South Turramurra homes which were bombed by fire-retardant on November 12, 2019. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty
On Saturday, a day of extreme fire danger, police believe a blaze which ripped through The Crest Reserve at the Sydney suburb of Georges Hall was deliberately lit.

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More than 100 homes came under threat as dozens of firefighters, locals and even uniformed police grabbed hoses to keep the fire at bay.

On December 16 two men were seen fleeing bush north of Wollongong as a fire ripped through 2500 sqm of vegetation.

Water NSW and RFS crews had to be deployed to control it.

In Rappville in the state’s north, locals feared for their lives as a firestorm destroyed more than 20 homes in October.

Police announced days later they suspected it was deliberately lit and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott labelled the fire “a bastard act”.

In other instances police have laid charges over unauthorised fires that have got out of control, and fire breaches.

NSW Rural Fire Service crews mop up after the South Turramurra fire came close to homes in November last year. Picture: AAP
Seventy-one-year-old Christopher McMahon was allegedly burning grass on his property near Moruya on the far south coast on Boxing Day when he lost control of the fire.

He called the RFS as it burned through more than 40ha before it was brought under control. McMahon was charged with lighting a fire to clear land without a permit.

He was granted bail on a number of conditions including not to be in possession of matches or lighters outside of his home.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott visits the devastated small town of Wingella just outside of Bundanoon on Sunday. Picture: David Swift
Commonwealth Bank lawyer Christopher Sun allegedly lobbed a firework over a fence in St Peters on to dry grass, starting a fire on November 14. Onlookers had to beat the flames out and police arrested Sun nearby. He was charged with three offences including handling explosives without a permit.

The town of Ebor in the Northern Tablelands was threatened by a fire which allegedly started when a man backburning to save his cannabis crop lost control of the blaze.

The Ebor blaze threatened the Ebor Falls Hotel Motel and ripped through over 3500ha before it was doused Picture: Supplied.
The fire ripped through more than 3500ha before RFS and Country Fire Authority crews could put it out.

COPS VOW TO CATCH LOWLIFE ARSONISTS
Arsonists and heartless looters have heaped misery onto NSW communities already suffering a bushfire crisis.

NSW Police have charged 24 people with deliberately lighting bushfires since November 8 and two males on the weekend for looting in south coast towns terrorised by the weekend fires.

Firebugs using everything from cigarette lighters to fireworks have ignited dry bushland.

Experienced fire investigator Mitch Parish, a former arson squad detective, said the high-profile nature of the current fire crisis played into the hands of “vanity arsonists”, often social recluses who sought a rush from watching their fires spread.

“It’s got to the stage where they’re seeing all the publicity on the fires … and they get bit of a buzz because of all the attention,” Mr Parish, who spent 20 years investigating fires, said.

“People get very emotional and passionate (about fires) and feel a lot of power because it’s a very destructive force.”

Fire and Rescue officers blacking out after a fire at the brick pit ring walk car park on at Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: Steve Tyson
Fires that police believed were lit deliberately have razed homes, wasted precious firefighter resources such as water bombing aircraft and destroyed thousands of hectares of bushland.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, who is in charge of the state’s Arson Unit, said detectives were building profiles on known firebugs and running “covert” operations on the ones they fear will be tempted to light a fire.

“We have a commitment to the people of NSW to take action against anyone caught deliberately lighting fires,” Mr Smith said.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said detectives were building profiles on known firebugs and running “covert” operations. Picture: AAP
Along with firebugs, police are targeting looters who are preying on fire-hit communities across the state.

Wesley Thompson, 39, was so distraught to find his Catalina home near Batemans Bay raided on Monday that he could not bear to stay and count the cost.

“The sliding door was open, as soon as I put my head through the curtain I saw the TV was gone, then I saw the other TV was gone,” Mr Thompson told The Daily Telegraph. “My mattress was standing up against the wall then I thought, I can’t stay here I have to go and clear my head.”

Houses turned pink after Video fire retardant was dropped on Turramurra. Picture: 7 News
He dearly hoped the thieves had not bundled up a shoebox containing a letter penned by his mother before she died from cancer last year.

“They could have just picked up the shoebox,” Mr Thompson said. “All day I’ve been thinking, well I don’t remember seeing my fishing rods, they’re not expensive but it’s just those great things that you like.”

Also in Catalina, Eily-Rose Stokes said she and her husband were hit by looters twice in as many nights.

“Just stole our generator from right in front of caravan door where we’re sleeping, and tried to steal our (electrical) builder’s trailer full of tools,” she wrote on social media on Sunday.

On Monday she wrote “we have had looters come back for night … thankfully hubby locked the back of ute tool trays.”

A NSW RFS firefighter undertakes mopping up at South Turramurra in November last year. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty
Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said he wanted magistrates to come down hard on anyone caught looting.

“We are not living in south central LA, we don’t live in Syria we don’t do this to each other. This is the south coast of NSW,” Mr Elliott said.

“If judges and magistrates don’t give an appropriate penalty to these offenders, I’d be quite happy to write to the Attorney-General and ask for an appeal until victims are satisfied.”

WEATHER: FOOTHOLD GAINED
Rain and cooler conditions have allowed fireys to get a foothold on fires ahead of returning strong winds and heat later this week.

Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Rosemary Barr said that the rain has mostly fallen in the state’s east, with a “concentration” in the southeast.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott revealed the cool conditions would see fireys “hopefully contain” the Gospers Mountain mega-blaze.

KANGAROO ISLAND COLONY OF KOALAS DEVASTATED
Half of the koalas on Kangaroo Island — home to South Australia’s only chlamydia-free koala population — are believed to have died in the devastating bushfires.

More than 25,000 koalas are thought to have perished in the blaze which has so far destroyed 56 homes and burnt through more than 160,000ha.

Last night a video emerged online of a group of teenagers with a carload of injured koalas they rescued from the island’s ravaged Flinders Chase National Park.

These ***** and the looters should all swing.

 

[Dawgfather]

It's a long bow you've attempted drawing here, cherry picking such information without providing background to frame your debate.

Nothing was cherry picked.

I simply had 2 seconds of thought and decided most reasonable people would probably use area burned and fatalities as relevant pieces of information when deciding whether a fire was unprecedented or not.

Are you suggesting an alternative measure or just adding more aggression to a worldwide debate that already has far too much?

 

[Dawgfather]

I actually think 9 are left leaning now which makes their marriage with 2GB very interesting

Have you seen what Nine has done at 2gb in terms of getting rid of the incumbent radio presenters? The only policy they seem to have is 'Man = bad, woman = better'.

 

[Dawgfather]

While I don't think this is entirely accurate, it's about as close as I've seen

I'm surprised this lists news.com.au as leaning right. ALthough it is Murdoch owned, the online version (news.com.au) is heavily PC, heavily social media bent and I would described it as either entirely central or slightly left of centre.

 

[Natboy]

Have you seen what Nine has done at 2gb in terms of getting rid of the incumbent radio presenters? The only policy they seem to have is 'Man = bad, woman = better'.

I agree. It’s pathetic. It’s a shame they’ve lost Ross Greenwood and George Moore. The Chris Smith out Steve Price in Steve Price out and Chris Smith in hokey pokey has made them look stupid.
It’s pretty much nine news radio now and I’m sick to death of fucking tennis updates

 

[Hacky McAxe]

I'm surprised this lists news.com.au as leaning right. ALthough it is Murdoch owned, the online version (news.com.au) is heavily PC, heavily social media bent and I would described it as either entirely central or slightly left of centre.

Yeah, I've generally seen news.com.au as a central news source. They do spruik a lot of social media stuff and repost ABC stuff, but they also repost Sky News stuff.

It's funny to look through articles and see them supporting climate change in one article and denying it in the next.

 

[Wahesh]

Again I must bring up the political side of this, but why are people blaming ScoMo/Government? I would like to know what they physically could've done to prevent this. The fact is, why live in a very big country that has more trees than we can count. There is no way for anyone to predict where a fire will start, and how stretched our resources will be before it happens. As far as the Government goes, giving the RFS all the funding they require as well as helping residents get back on their feet is the best thing that can be done. If residents refuse to leave, do not have a Bushfire Survival Plan, and choose to live in fire-prone areas, that is not the fault of the government.

It was recently announced by ScoMo that they Federal Government will be donating $2,000,000,000 that will go towards both the RFS and those affected by these fires. It must also be noted that fires are a matter for the STATE governments to deal with, and if they require funding for their emergency departments in times like this, that can request Federal Government support.

With the $2,000,000,000 donation, the Federal Government are doing as much as can be done.

 

[Dawgfather]

Again I must bring up the political side of this, but why are people blaming ScoMo/Government? I would like to know what they physically could've done to prevent this. The fact is, why live in a very big country that has more trees than we can count. There is no way for anyone to predict where a fire will start, and how stretched our resources will be before it happens. As far as the Government goes, giving the RFS all the funding they require as well as helping residents get back on their feet is the best thing that can be done. If residents refuse to leave, do not have a Bushfire Survival Plan, and choose to live in fire-prone areas, that is not the fault of the government.

It was recently announced by ScoMo that they Federal Government will be donating $2,000,000,000 that will go towards both the RFS and those affected by these fires. It must also be noted that fires are a matter for the STATE governments to deal with, and if they require funding for their emergency departments in times like this, that can request Federal Government support.

With the $2,000,000,000 donation, the Federal Government are doing as much as can be done.

People know ScoMo has at least some skepticism of climate change (remember him walking into parliament with a lump of coal). In 2020 that is good enough to basically charge you with a criminal offence.

So people (especially social media types and media types) are never going to support any action he takes in relation to the fires).

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Again I must bring up the political side of this, but why are people blaming ScoMo/Government? I would like to know what they physically could've done to prevent this. The fact is, why live in a very big country that has more trees than we can count. There is no way for anyone to predict where a fire will start, and how stretched our resources will be before it happens. As far as the Government goes, giving the RFS all the funding they require as well as helping residents get back on their feet is the best thing that can be done. If residents refuse to leave, do not have a Bushfire Survival Plan, and choose to live in fire-prone areas, that is not the fault of the government.

It was recently announced by ScoMo that they Federal Government will be donating $2,000,000,000 that will go towards both the RFS and those affected by these fires. It must also be noted that fires are a matter for the STATE governments to deal with, and if they require funding for their emergency departments in times like this, that can request Federal Government support.

With the $2,000,000,000 donation, the Federal Government are doing as much as can be done.

I think it's a mixture of things. People picked on him 'cause of his climate denial but I think it was primarily due to how he handled the situation. Going on holiday in the middle of a crisis. Turning up at the crisis for a photo Op but refusing to answer any questions. Bunch of other things that are just really bad PR moves.

I don't blame him for anything to do with the fires. But I laugh at his poor PR management. I have Liberal die hard friend who have been picking on him constantly for it. He just didn't handle the matter well and made himself look stupid in the process.

 

[Wayne Rooney]

I think it's a mixture of things. People picked on him 'cause of his climate denial but I think it was primarily due to how he handled the situation. Going on holiday in the middle of a crisis. Turning up at the crisis for a photo Op but refusing to answer any questions. Bunch of other things that are just really bad PR moves.

I don't blame him for anything to do with the fires. But I laugh at his poor PR management. I have Liberal die hard friend who have been picking on him constantly for it. He just didn't handle the matter well and made himself look stupid in the process.

Climate denial? You mean he hasnt been brainwashed and swayed into the "global warming/climate change/scientology" era?

What utter load of rubbish

 

[Dawgfather]

I think it's a mixture of things. People picked on him 'cause of his climate denial but I think it was primarily due to how he handled the situation. Going on holiday in the middle of a crisis. Turning up at the crisis for a photo Op but refusing to answer any questions. Bunch of other things that are just really bad PR moves.

I don't blame him for anything to do with the fires. But I laugh at his poor PR management. I have Liberal die hard friend who have been picking on him constantly for it. He just didn't handle the matter well and made himself look stupid in the process.

Generally agree with you.

But the one thing I would say is that I think ScoMo is more genuine and more of a human being than many of our most recent PM's. So although he acted awkward when he went down South, I tend to look past it and put it down to poor advice or him not having his head on straight because of all the press he was getting.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Climate denial? You mean he hasnt been brainwashed and swayed into the "global warming/climate change/scientology" era?

What utter load of rubbish

That's what I said. Climate denial. Meaning he originally had a problem accepting it but people have ignored the fact that he now accepts it. To a certain degree.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Generally agree with you.

But the one thing I would say is that I think ScoMo is more genuine and more of a human being than many of our most recent PM's. So although he acted awkward when he went down South, I tend to look past it and put it down to poor advice or him not having his head on straight because of all the press he was getting.

Yeah, I agree. I think that's the problem. He's more of a genuine bloke than your average politician. That also makes him bad at PR. Same thing you get from Barnaby Joyce and Bob Katter. They're never going to be good with the PR but at least they'll be honest in what they believe.

 

[Wayne Rooney]

That's what I said. Climate denial. Meaning he originally had a problem accepting it but people have ignored the fact that he now accepts it. To a certain degree.

lol

 

[Dawgfather]

Yeah, I agree. I think that's the problem. He's more of a genuine bloke than your average politician. That also makes him bad at PR. Same thing you get from Barnaby Joyce and Bob Katter. They're never going to be good with the PR but at least they'll be honest in what they believe.

Same concept with Trump? He's far more genuine than any politician (maybe in the history of the world), so you get a lot of truth out of him, but his PR isn't crash hot

 

[Dawgfather]

Enjoy debating this one:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4874420/

"However, important exceptions aside, the quantitative evidence available does not support these perceived overall trends. Instead, global area burned appears to have overall declined over past decades, and there is increasing evidence that there is less fire in the global landscape today than centuries ago."

 

[Flanagun]

Generally agree with you.

But the one thing I would say is that I think ScoMo is more genuine and more of a human being than many of our most recent PM's. So although he acted awkward when he went down South, I tend to look past it and put it down to poor advice or him not having his head on straight because of all the press he was getting.

Yeah, I agree. I think that's the problem. He's more of a genuine bloke than your average politician. That also makes him bad at PR. Same thing you get from Barnaby Joyce and Bob Katter. They're never going to be good with the PR but at least they'll be honest in what they believe.

What gives you both that opinion about Morrison? Not scoffing at your opinions, I am interested in your perspectives. Personally I think it's all an act. He's trying to play the Trump populism card and appear to be a man of the people, but he tries too hard. ScoMo? Come on. If he was trying any harder to appeal to the youth, he'd be walking around with a baseball cap on backwards. I think if he was more of a genuine bloke, he'd show a bit more emotion at times like this, spooked or not. I personally can't stand Tony Abbott, but I'll give him some credit.....his firefighting efforts, his lifeguard stuff. As much as I disagree with him on almost everything, I can see elements of his personality which make me thiuk he is trying to do good as misguided as I personally believe many of his views to be. I can't stand many things about him, but I think he is more genuine than Morrison. At least I have a clearer understanding of what he believes in. ScoMo is just too....rehearsed. I think like her or not, Gillard is pretty much what you see is what you get.....Albo too. Shorten and ScoMo, not so much.

 

[Dawgfather]

What gives you both that opinion about Morrison? Not scoffing at your opinions, I am interested in your perspectives. Personally I think it's all an act. He's trying to play the Trump populism card and appear to be a man of the people, but he tries too hard. ScoMo? Come on. If he was trying any harder to appeal to the youth, he'd be walking around with a baseball cap on backwards. I think if he was more of a genuine bloke, he'd show a bit more emotion at times like this, spooked or not. I personally can't stand Tony Abbott, but I'll give him some credit.....his firefighting efforts, his lifeguard stuff. As much as I disagree with him on almost everything, I can see elements of his personality which make me thiuk he is trying to do good as misguided as I personally believe many of his views to be. I can't stand many things about him, but I think he is more genuine than Morrison. At least I have a clearer understanding of what he believes in. ScoMo is just too....rehearsed. I think like her or not, Gillard is pretty much what you see is what you get.....Albo too. Shorten and ScoMo, not so much.

I always found Abbott extremely genuine and to be an awesome aussie bloke with his lifeguard and firefighting volunteering. I don't offer that opinion often though because it seems 99% of everyone else absolutely hates/hated him.

ScoMo just comes across as a daggy Dad to me. That's what makes him genuine to me.