General Chat

Perhaps it is now our turn :-(

There is an uncontrolled bushfire at Kemerton, about fifteen kilometres from us.

The first indication that we had that there was a problem somewhere close was when a plane, which we found out later was a small aerial water bomber, passed over our house virtually at roof top level.

Then on the news the location was given. Kemerton is an industrial area servicing the Greater Bunbury area.

Hope that it is soon under control as my son works there, ironically at the Silicon Smelter.

Just love the sound of sirens, but unfortunately these are not the type to lure lonely sailors to their doom :-D

Oooo a bit too close for comfort, Allan :-0

Hope they manage to get it under control soon <3

I have family and friends in Oz Allan but being so far away it is hard to imagine and to know what to keep saying other than 'stay safe, thinking of you'.
Stay safe.

Be careful Allan and I hope you and your family stay safe <3

So worrying, especially when you know how a situation can escalate.
I hope this fire can be brought under control.

Stay safe and let us know how things are, if you are able.

Thanks all. I have a lot of faith in our emergency crews who do a magnificent job.

The main problem at the moment is that the wind has picked up, which wont help matters, but compared to the Eastern States this, at the moment, is only a comparatively small fire.

Ironically, on this evenings news was a report that a large fire bomber, hired from the USA has now landed in WA and is to be based at the RAAF base at Pearce, near Perth.

I hope that it is not needed in this instance :-)

So do I.

Stay safe young man you will have to just keep up with news bulletins <3

A bit close for comfort so hope it can be brought under control and that you and your son stay safe. We will be thinking of you of course. <3

Hope it settles down soon Allan

Stay safe Allan <3

Allan,

Wakefield, Balaklava is that in the recent fires zone?

where are you?

Bob, not sure where those places are

I'm in Western Australia in a place called Australind in the Shire of Harvey

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/bushfire-emergency-in-wa-shire-of-harvey-people-urged-to-evacuate-their-homes/ar-BBZ8KkZ?ocid=spartandhp.

That was issued seven hours ago, and fortunately it is moving away from us. However it does bring back memories of when Yarloop was destroyed in 2016. They have only just rebuilt parts of the town

Stay safe, Allan.

I know how dangerous those bush fires are .............. I have a second cousin who was burnt out of their home and barely escaped with their lives in a bush fire in Victoria about 35 years ago.

Bob, just done a quick search and Balaclava is in South Australia on the Wakefield River. It is close (48 km) to Adelaide. There was a bush fire recently affecting Adelaide, but which areas I don't know. Not much help if you are caught in one but they have not been as severe as those in NSW and VIC.

Sylvia, we are to the south of the current fire in Harvey, but according to the DFES (Dept of Fire and Emergency Services) website the threat has now been downgrade to Watch and Act, that was an hour ago

That's good news, Allan!

Did I read the last sentence of that report correctly:
'The fire is believed to have been deliberately lit.'
I hope the catch the bar steward.

Stay safe, Allan <3

Maggie, the main causes of bushfires are a) Lightning strikes, b) using equipment that can cause sparks, eg angle grinders, or even tractors where the exhaust can cause a fire, c) people throwing cigarette butts out of car windows, d) deliberate arson.

A fire the other night in Perth was caused by thieves torching a stolen vehicle.

Unfortunately, the arsonists seem to prevail, and you'd be surprised how many members of Bush Fire Brigades have been prosecuted in recent years for deliberately lighting fires.

It seems that they get a 'kick' out of being hailed as heroes :-S

I will refrain from saying what I would like to do to these people for fear of giving offence, but it would not be pleasant :-|

One of the consequences of bush fires is the disruption to power supplies :-(

We lost power at about 0830 and didn't have it restored until 1330, a minor inconvenience compared to those elsewhere :-0

A good old battery powered radio kept us amused, whilst our mobile phones kept us informed ;-)

Amazing how good a battery operated radio can be ;-)

When we had our cabin out in the wilderness, there were no services to it, except what we could supply with a generator.

The battery-operated radio was turned on 3 times a day (around breakfast, lunch and dinner times) and kept us informed.

There were also some really interesting programmes on there, that were really interesting!

Coolers filled with ice kept food fresh, ice was bought every 2 or 3 days from the "local" shop ............... 30 km away. That kept us in contact with real people.


The times up there were wonderfully relaxing!