# Well fuck...



## Magikian (Feb 8, 2009)

108 dead in bushfires extremely close to where I am.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/744864/at-least-93-dead-in-victorian-bushfires/?rss=yes

Apparently the worst natural disaster to happen in Australia.

And the death toll isn't expected to stop just yet, either.

EDIT: It's up at 130 now.

EDIT2: 131 officially, expected to be higher and 2 towns off the map.

EDIT3: 173 people dead and 4 towns wiped off the map

EDIT4: 181 dead, expected to be above 300.


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## WarMocK (Feb 8, 2009)

Ouch ... sorry to hear that. :-(

But how come that so many people get killed by a bush fire? Can't believe a fire can get THAT big. Oo


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## Grimfang (Feb 8, 2009)

That's terrible..

Are you in danger of it spreading to where you live?


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## Tycho (Feb 8, 2009)

Ack.

When I lived in California I constantly saw stories on the news about horrible wildfires/brushfires near Big Bear or Temecula or Angeles National Forest or whatever.  Lots of property destruction, some loss of life, though I don't think a year's death toll in California due to wildfires ever came close to 108...

Do us a favor and don't die in a fire, OK?


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## ramsay_baggins (Feb 8, 2009)

<=[

I hope you, your friends and families get through it alright.



			
				WarMock said:
			
		

> But how come that so many people get killed by a bush fire? Can't believe a fire can get THAT big. Oo



As far as I am aware, it's the speed of the flames which catch people out =/ People get trapped.


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## Magikian (Feb 8, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Ouch ... sorry to hear that. :-(
> 
> But how come that so many people get killed by a bush fire? Can't believe a fire can get THAT big. Oo



We have had alot of dry, hot weather recently.



Grimfang said:


> That's terrible..
> 
> Are you in danger of it spreading to where you live?



Aye, it is.

And gladly, no, I'm in the middle of suburbs.



Tycho said:


> Ack.
> 
> When I lived in California I constantly saw stories on the news about horrible wildfires/brushfires near Big Bear or Temecula or Angeles National Forest or whatever. Lots of property destruction, some loss of life, though I don't think a year's death toll in California due to wildfires ever came close to 108...
> 
> Do us a favor and don't die in a fire, OK?



Yeah, as I said, it's the worst bushfire we've had, and Ash Wednesday was pretty damn bad (70-something, my mother was almost in it)



ramsay_baggins said:


> <=[
> 
> I hope you, your friends and families get through it alright.



Thanks for the concern, but the chance of me getting caught in a fire is very low.


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## WarMocK (Feb 8, 2009)

ramsay_baggins said:


> As far as I am aware, it's the speed of the flames which catch people out =/ People get trapped.


Hmm, yes, maybe.
Especially with lots of dry and dead wood around the landscape can become a furnace within a few minutes, literally burning up the atmosphere. 

I hope it doesn't get too bad for you down there amigo.


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## Magikian (Feb 8, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Hmm, yes, maybe.
> Especially with lots of dry and dead wood around the landscape can become a furnace within a few minutes, literally burning up the atmosphere.
> 
> I hope it doesn't get too bad for you down there amigo.



Just to add, the fires started on Saturday, IIRC, which was the hottest day we've had in decades, at 46C (around 115F I think).


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## WarMocK (Feb 8, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Just to add, the fires started on Saturday, IIRC, which was the hottest day we've had in decades, at 46C (around 115F I think).



Phew, 46 degrees is damn hot (can't remember we ever had that temperature here in Germany). In that case a cigarette would be enough to start an inferno.


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## Grimfang (Feb 8, 2009)

damn..

The world needs to cool the hell down.. hopefully they're able to prevent from more lives being lost.


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## Irreverent (Feb 8, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Just to add, the fires started on Saturday, IIRC, which was the hottest day we've had in decades, at 46C (around 115F I think).



Naturally, or was it arson?  Most of the big fires in the Canadian north are started by carelessness, not lighting.  Not that it matters when its your home that's going up in flames.

Godspeed Magikian!  Stay safe!


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## Magikian (Feb 8, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Phew, 46 degrees is damn hot (can't remember we ever had that temperature here in Germany). In that case a cigarette would be enough to start an inferno.



Aye.

And this happened pretty much just after a 4 day heatwave of consistent 40-43C heat.



Grimfang said:


> damn..
> 
> The world needs to cool the hell down.. hopefully they're able to prevent from more lives being lost.



Yeah it does. Hurray for global warming (which totally doesn't exist).

Let's just hope, for that's all we can do at the moment.


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## Tryp (Feb 8, 2009)

*Page Load error*

Oh God, the fires have got onto the Internet!  Women and children and beer first!

But seriously, run for it if you smell burnt kangaroo meat.  108 dead, for a bush fire or forest fire that's pretty horrific.  California gets scorched every summer, but there's only a few deaths there.


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## Tijala (Feb 8, 2009)

I've heard about that.

Stay safe.


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## Fox Glove (Feb 8, 2009)

If magi lives in the suburbs and it did coincidentally spread dangerously close they'd probably be able to evacuate in time.

But seriously dude be on the alert because last summer there was a forest fire that got really damn close to my aunt's house even though they live in a suburb close to rural areas.


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## Magikian (Feb 8, 2009)

Julian said:


> If magi lives in the suburbs and it did coincidentally spread dangerously close they'd probably be able to evacuate in time.
> 
> But seriously dude be on the alert because last summer there was a forest fire that got really damn close to my aunt's house even though they live in a suburb close to rural areas.



I'm a good distance from rural areas.


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## Xaerun (Feb 8, 2009)

Yeah Magi mate, tell me about it.
The town that my school was in went to Amber alert, and the freeway was shut down. There were fears it could spread to where I live...
Should be fine now, though.



Magikian said:


> I'm a good distance from rural areas.


=(


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## melleh (Feb 8, 2009)

So awful...can't believe the death toll is so high. But I suppose one is too many.


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## Satoshi (Feb 8, 2009)

sounds like LA.


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## ToeClaws (Feb 8, 2009)

I can believe it - in the brief time I lived in West Texas in the US, they had a really long dry bought, and a storm sparked major wildfires.  I was part of the Red Cross response effort on them, and wow - they spread fast, change direction with little warning, send out blast waves of heat.  If something like that's coming towards your area Magi, get out of the way and stay gone until it passes.


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## Moka (Feb 8, 2009)

Wildfires are scary things. Unpredicatable, fast, and unbelievably hot. You don't want to be anywhere near one.

I'm glad to hear you're both safe, Magikian and Xaerun.

*hugs*


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## Magikian (Feb 9, 2009)

ToeClaws said:


> If something like that's coming towards your area Magi, get out of the way and stay gone until it passes.



As I said, there is very little danger of me getting caught.


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## Tycho (Feb 9, 2009)

Magikian said:


> As I said, there is very little danger of me getting caught.



*casts Resist Fire*


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## PriestRevan (Feb 9, 2009)

'Bout time some cool stuff happened in Australia.


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## Tycho (Feb 9, 2009)

PriestRevan said:


> 'Bout time some cool hot stuff happened in Australia.



More fitting.


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## WarMocK (Feb 9, 2009)

Oh dear ...
They just said in the news that some of the fires might have been started by some pyros again ... >_<
This is one of those times when I seriously reconsider changing my opinion about the death penalty :evil::evil::evil:


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## Xaerun (Feb 9, 2009)

PriestRevan said:


> 'Bout time some cool stuff happened in Australia.


Har. Har. Har.



Tycho said:


> More fitting.


*points at self* Hello? Also, where is my Resist Fire? =( You don't care, do you?



WarMocK said:


> Oh dear ...
> They just said in the news that some of the fires might have been started by some pyros again ... >_<
> This is one of those times when I seriously reconsider changing my opinion about the death penalty :evil::evil::evil:


Oh, they were saying that from the beginning down here. You don't wanna know what some of the locals plan on doing if they catch the guys who started it... if I was them, I'd FUCKING RUN to the police NAO.

(oh, and look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Victorian_bushfires )


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## WarMocK (Feb 9, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Oh, they were saying that from the beginning down here. You don't wanna know what some of the locals plan on doing if they catch the guys who started it... if I was them, I'd FUCKING RUN to the police NAO.


I guessed that,too. Right from the start. But I seriously hoped that I was wrong. :-(


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## Tycho (Feb 9, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> *points at self* Hello? Also, where is my Resist Fire? =( You don't care, do you?



I'll mail you a scroll.


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## Kangamutt (Feb 9, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Oh dear ...
> They just said in the news that some of the fires might have been started by some pyros again ... >_<
> This is one of those times when I seriously reconsider changing my opinion about the death penalty :evil::evil::evil:



I wholeheartedly agree, man. Arsonists piss me off to no end.


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## Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ (Feb 9, 2009)

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Victorian_bushfires


Jesus Titfucking Christ... And how many more weeks of summer?
That's the problem with arson; easy to commit, easy to get away with, and is capable of massive destruciton. And hard to tell if it was even deliberate... of course, carelessness is no excuse when it some to fire. [/Smokey]



PriestRevan said:


> But, honestly, it's about time there was some more death and destruction down there.


Heh...heh... No. Please. Continue.


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## Magikian (Feb 9, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> They just said in the news that some of the fires might have been started by some pyros again ... >_<



Some?

The authorities are saying about half.


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## Xaerun (Feb 9, 2009)

Easog said:


> That's the problem with arson; easy to commit, easy to get away with, and is capable of massive destruciton. And hard to tell if it was even deliberate... of course, carelessness is no excuse when it some to fire. [/Smokey]


Exactly. Difficult to find evidence, innit?


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## Tycho (Feb 9, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Exactly. Difficult to find evidence, innit?



About the best they can do is try to pinpoint the fire's original point, determine if accelerants were used (probably not needed given the environment there), look for vehicle tracks, foot prints, discarded items that weren't completely consumed by fire...


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## Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ (Feb 9, 2009)

Tycho said:


> About the best they can do is try to pinpoint the fire's original point, determine if accelerants were used (probably not needed given the environment there), look for vehicle tracks, foot prints, discarded items that weren't completely consumed by fire...


Yes. Difficult, but not impossible.


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## Magikian (Feb 9, 2009)

Tycho said:


> About the best they can do is try to pinpoint the fire's original point, determine if accelerants were used (probably not needed given the environment there), look for vehicle tracks, foot prints, discarded items that weren't completely consumed by fire...



When you consider how badly the area is burnt, it's quite hard to find evidence.

Not to mention the burnt area is still really dangerous.


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## Marodi (Feb 9, 2009)

Crap, i didnt realise it was this bad! Stay safe matey. I'm going to become a firefighter one day, theyre needed here.


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## Magikian (Feb 9, 2009)

Marodi said:


> Crap, i didnt realise it was this bad! Stay safe matey. I'm going to become a firefighter one day, theyre needed here.



They're pulling in firefighters from interstate, because Victoria's are completely exhausted.


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## CaptainCool (Feb 9, 2009)

i saw this on the news yesterday, it looked REALLY bad and big :O
i hope you can get it under control or put it out shortly!


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## alaskawolf (Feb 9, 2009)

i wish i could send some glaciers down there


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## WarMocK (Feb 9, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Some?
> 
> The authorities are saying about half.



*suddenly feels reminded of the fires in Greece*


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 9, 2009)

Australian bush fires are worse than any others 'cos' most of the trees are eucalyptus (gum trees), and eucalyptus oil is highly flamable!
Burning hotter and longer than normal bush fires, they're three times harder to fight.

I,m up helping people in the floods right now, but when im done i'll go south.


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## FoxMantra (Feb 9, 2009)

Its a shame i cant dump all this UK snow over there in one go, that ll put it out, Poor People, 42c its like being in an oven for 10 Min's, I heard From DA site it was arson Or lightning From a storm. 

tis not good.


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## Zeraio (Feb 9, 2009)

Well here in the states and in my state... We are in a major drought and all it will take is just one idiot drunk with a cigarette to light up the state. Wildfires and drought are something that is FAR more common anymore now that the planet has been warming up. Not to mention the mismanagement of resources and land to boot which makes it all that much worse. I think the biggest thing anyone could do is to simply bulldoze a line around cities and anything that might be in danger like the do out here and make it wide enough that the fire will not be able to jump it.


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## Tycho (Feb 9, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> *suddenly feels reminded of the fires in Greece*



"Greece" fires.

Heheheh.  Can't use water to put those out, I bet.





Apologies for the horrid joke.

Heehee.


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## pheonix (Feb 9, 2009)

Magikian said:


> 108 dead in bushfires extremely close to where I am.
> 
> http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/744864/at-least-93-dead-in-victorian-bushfires/?rss=yes
> 
> ...



Wow that's just horrible. D: Natural disasters suck, thank goodness I only have to worry about hurricanes...for now.


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## Darth GW7 (Feb 9, 2009)

Aw man, that's sad to hear. Aussies are awesome.


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## Kangamutt (Feb 9, 2009)

Magikian said:


> When you consider how badly the area is burnt, it's quite hard to find evidence.
> 
> Not to mention the burnt area is still really dangerous.



I wouldn't doubt an arson investigator's abilities, man. Southern California's climate bears a striking resemblance to Australia's, except being on the North side. The last wildfire we had here was arson, and they caught them. Those fuckers are doing hard time now.


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## Magikian (Feb 9, 2009)

Kangaroo_Boy said:


> I wouldn't doubt an arson investigator's abilities, man. Southern California's climate bears a striking resemblance to Australia's, except being on the North side. The last wildfire we had here was arson, and they caught them. Those fuckers are doing hard time now.



Oh, I know how good they are. It's just that they are gonna have to wait a long time before the area is considered safe enough.

And they are treating the charges as mass murder if they do catch the people responsible.


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## Takun (Feb 9, 2009)

But at least your government is protecting the children from the evil that is the internet!


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## WarMocK (Feb 9, 2009)

Takumi_L said:


> But at least your government is protecting the children from the evil that is the internet!


Thank you, Takumi. Now you owe me a new sarcasm detector. 

I hope they catch those mass murderers.


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

Takumi_L said:


> But at least your government is protecting the children from the evil that is the internet!



OMG I FORGOT OUR GOVERNMENT IS SO CARING



WarMocK said:


> I hope they catch those mass murderers.



Aye. I can't even imagine how they thought that was a good idea.


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## E-mannor (Feb 10, 2009)

Damn its really getting out of control down there... I would usually be inclined to make a joke about looting areas of natural disaster... but this is pretty crazy...

magi don't get set on fire >.>


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## Kvasir (Feb 10, 2009)

that is scary! to think that we thought the forest fire by missoula was bad, and it jumped the freeway and river. but i dont think we lost too many lives, i dont have TV so i couldnt watch the news, but i was in track and we had to take the long way. But 160+ lives lost that is outragous!


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

E-mannor said:


> Damn its really getting out of control down there... I would usually be inclined to make a joke about looting areas of natural disaster... but this is pretty crazy...
> 
> magi don't get set on fire >.>



Heh... Not that there is anywhere to loot anyway, all these places are out in the sticks.



Kvasir said:


> that is scary! to think that we thought the forest fire by missoula was bad, and it jumped the freeway and river. but i dont think we lost too many lives, i dont have TV so i couldnt watch the news, but i was in track and we had to take the long way. But 160+ lives lost that is outragous!



Yeah it is quite ridiculous.


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## Xaerun (Feb 10, 2009)

Why does everyone care about MAGI burning to death? What about meeeee? *cries*

The local school has cancelled half of the buses (those that go near fire-affected areas).


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## Digitalpotato (Feb 10, 2009)

PriestRevan said:


> 'Bout time some cool stuff happened in Australia.




The only way to make that cool would be if they had managed to discover the Thylacine. Or better yet....

...since they seem to have Arson as a cause again, it'd be even cooler if those little Beavises were actually the remnants of the Thylacine species.

*yawn* FIRE FIRE! HEEHEEHEE FIRE!!!




Alright now anyways enough about cryptozoology. I'm actually quite glad you guys are alright. TEll me, how fast are they at evacuating people in Australia when brushfires break out?


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## Tycho (Feb 10, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Why does everyone care about MAGI burning to death? What about meeeee? *cries*



He was the one that started the thread.

We don't want to see you get burned either, Xaerun.  At least I don't want to.





Shameless attention-whore.


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Why does everyone care about MAGI burning to death? What about meeeee? *cries*



It's because no-one cares about you Xaerun.

;D

Except for Hattie. He's the only one.


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## Hydramon (Feb 10, 2009)

At least you're alright. The smoke made it's way over here in New Zealand. Caused the sky to go a really wierd colour. I have pictures of it on my phone...


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## Moka (Feb 10, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Why does everyone care about MAGI burning to death? What about meeeee? *cries*



Ahem...



Moka said:


> Wildfires are scary things. Unpredicatable, fast, and unbelievably hot. You don't want to be anywhere near one.
> 
> I'm glad to hear you're both safe, Magikian and *Xaerun*.
> 
> *hugs*


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

Hydramon said:


> At least you're alright. The smoke made it's way over here in New Zealand. Caused the sky to go a really wierd colour. I have pictures of it on my phone...



Pics or it didn't happen.


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## Hydramon (Feb 10, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Pics or it didn't happen.


 I still can't figure out how to get them onto my laptop. But it went all orangey-brown, and the sun looked REALLY wierd.


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

Hydramon said:


> I still can't figure out how to get them onto my laptop. But it went all orangey-brown, and the sun looked REALLY wierd.



Yeah, same shit happened down here.

Looked real nice.


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## Hydramon (Feb 10, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Yeah, same shit happened down here.
> 
> Looked real nice.


 It was beautiful, but depressing at the same time. I was down in Queenstown, and when I left, the deathtoll was 26. The next day, it was 106.


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## Magikian (Feb 10, 2009)

Hydramon said:


> It was beautiful, but depressing at the same time. I was down in Queenstown, and when I left, the deathtoll was 26. The next day, it was 106.



Yeah, it was 131 when I went to bed last night, and it went up to 173 during school.

They estimate the toll to be above 300.


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## Xaerun (Feb 10, 2009)

Tycho said:


> He was the one that started the thread.
> 
> We don't want to see you get burned either, Xaerun.  At least I don't want to.
> 
> Shameless attention-whore.


=O
I thought you loved me.
AND I NEED NO ATTENTION FROM YOU, PEASANT! *crosses arms and harrumphs*



Magikian said:


> It's because no-one cares about you Xaerun.
> 
> ;D
> 
> ...


Um... thank you?
*EDIT* AHAH! NINJA EDIT!



Moka said:


> Ahem...


Thanks Moka, at least SOMEONE CARES!

Hahaha, it's all cool. I wish my workplace had've  burned down though... *sighs and continues flipping burgers*


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## Ratte (Feb 10, 2009)

Sounds like Cali.


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## Tycho (Feb 10, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> =O
> I thought you loved me.
> AND I NEED NO ATTENTION FROM YOU, PEASANT! *crosses arms and harrumphs*



You're so adorable when you're indignant.


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## Werevixen (Feb 10, 2009)

"Oh no, it's a gigantic wall of fire slowly moving towards us, let us continue our daily routine."


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## Tycho (Feb 10, 2009)

Werevixen said:


> "Oh no, it's a gigantic wall of fire slowly moving towards us, let us continue our daily routine."



Um, you'd be surprised at how rapidly a brushfire can move.  Give it some decent wind and it can move scary fast.


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## Werevixen (Feb 10, 2009)

Tycho said:


> Um, you'd be surprised at how rapidly a brushfire can move.  Give it some decent wind and it can move scary fast.



That's why people have cars.


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## melleh (Feb 10, 2009)

> That's why people have cars.



There were a lot of people killed trying to escape in their cars.


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## Werevixen (Feb 10, 2009)

melleh said:


> There were a lot of people killed trying to escape in their cars.



Yeah, but you're supposed to drive away from the fire.


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## Magikian (Feb 11, 2009)

Werevixen said:


> Yeah, but you're supposed to drive away from the fire.



Cars can catch fire even if the fire is a few metres away.

The fires were moving at around 100km/h.

I'd love to see you escape your house, get into your car, start it and get to above 100km/h before a fast moving fire hits your ass.


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## Tycho (Feb 11, 2009)

ITT Belgians don't know shit about wildfires.


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## Kesteh (Feb 11, 2009)

ITT: Action movie fire escaping.


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## Xaerun (Feb 11, 2009)

Tycho said:


> You're so adorable when you're indignant.


*snorts* Only when I'm indignant?



Werevixen said:


> "Oh no, it's a gigantic wall of fire slowly moving towards us, let us continue our daily routine."


I'm sure that's what happened. I'm also sure bushfires move slowly.

http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/5/5f/Hahahano.jpeg

*EDIT*
I decided to help you out. Source: Wikipedia on wildfires and bushfires.


> Wildfires can move at tremendous speeds, and dense clouds of burning embers may push relentlessly ahead of the flames, crossing firebreaks without pause.


Tremendous speeds, eh? Crossing firebreaks, eh? But that's not enough, let's look at how fast:



> Air rises as it is heated, and large wildfires create powerful updrafts that will draw in new air from surrounding areas.[71] These self-generated winds are often 10 times faster than ambient wind (more than 50 miles per hour (80 km/h)[72] ), encourage spotting, and severe gusts may cause the fire to spread into crown fuels.


So it can move at 80 km/h in AMBIENT WINDS, hey? Now hold on... if it can move that fast in ambient wind, imagine it in this wind:


			
				Wikipedia on the 2009 Victoria Bushfires said:
			
		

> Winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), that changed direction three times throughout the day, produced conditions described by the local CFA incident controller as the worst he had ever seen.


In case it hasn't sunk in yet, THAT'S FUCKING *FAST* Even faster than Speedycat.
My friend, if you can outrun a bushfire like that from a standing start I will give you all my money, all my property, and be your slave for the rest of my life. That's a promise. Good like fighting it, if that's what you prefer.

TL;DR (just in case)? Fuck you.


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## WarMocK (Feb 11, 2009)

Easy Xaerun, no need to fret that much about a posting from someone who obviously wants to troll around. ;-)
I'm glad you are ok, too. Don't think that I forgot you. ^_~


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## Tycho (Feb 11, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> *snorts* Only when I'm indignant?



You just did it again! <3

When I was in Cali, earthquakes didn't scare me.  At all.  Wildfires DID.  Wildfires scare me more than tornadoes and hurricanes, and that's saying something.


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## Werevixen (Feb 11, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Easy Xaerun, no need to fret that much about a posting from someone who obviously wants to troll around. ;-)
> I'm glad you are ok, too. Don't think that I forgot you. ^_~



Eh, I'm not actually trying to troll, but you are by calling people trolls prematurely.

Anyway, sure. In Belgium the worst weather conditions are lightning storms, no hurricanes, bushfires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions or tsunamis, they're all unheard of. But 96 kilometers per hour for a wall of fire you can see coming miles away? Unless you're driving a Geo Metro on rough terrain, it shouldn't be too hard to outrun it. And if cars burst on fire escaping, did they leave a trail of petrol behind them?


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## Xaerun (Feb 11, 2009)

WarMocK said:


> Easy Xaerun, no need to fret that much about a posting from someone who obviously wants to troll around. ;-)
> I'm glad you are ok, too. Don't think that I forgot you. ^_~


Haha, thanks, WarMocK.




Werevixen said:


> Eh, I'm not actually trying to troll, but you are by calling people trolls prematurely.
> 
> Anyway, sure. In Belgium the worst weather conditions are lightning storms, no hurricanes, bushfires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions or tsunamis, they're all unheard of. But 96 kilometers per hour for a wall of fire you can see coming miles away? Unless you're driving a Geo Metro on rough terrain, it shouldn't be too hard to outrun it. And if cars burst on fire escaping, did they leave a trail of petrol behind them?



These things aren't exactly predictable. And how do you accurately judge distance when the air is full of smoke, the sky is orange, it's raining ash... how do you tell? Oh, and protip: Not all houses are lookouts, they may have quite stifled vision.

Ok, so you run. The moment you hear there's a fire in the state, you run. To where? How far? When do you stop? And let's not forget, you leave your home. All of your property. Probably 95% of your belongings. All gone. And what if by some miracle the fire doesn't reach your home? Or it does, but you find out you could have fought it off? There are a lot of variables you're not considering here. What do you do with your pets? Your livestock? Your friends? Do you leave them to die? And uh... do you know much about terrain out in rural Australia? It ain't exactly the fuckin' autobahn, mate.


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 11, 2009)

Today was the first time my truck pulled something heavy.
I towed a B double tanker of water (at 120 KPH) to the fires in victoria all the way from the top of queensland, i pumped it right off the ground, i picked up 3 fire fighters thats truck was lost to the fire, even after seeing the other two fire officeres that were in that truck burn to death they climbed on top of my tanker and used it as a fire engine, with the onbord pumps and hoses they never stoped, i refilled this tanker 3 times today, 3/8 of an olympic swimming pool each time.

After saving 37 buildings and 12 lives i'll need 3 new tires a new turbo charger a new suspention springs a new two-part right mirror a repair to drive shaft and a new paint job.

If any one here wants to see me, i'll be in a blue kenworth pulling a green B double water tanker (badly scorched paintwork on the right side)


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## Moka (Feb 11, 2009)

the_last_centaur said:


> Today was the first time my truck pulled something heavy.
> I towed a B double tanker of water (at 120 KPH) to the fires in victoria all the way from the top of queensland, i pumped it right off the ground, i picked up 3 fire fighters thats truck was lost to the fire, even after seeing the other two fire officeres that were in that truck burn to death they climbed on top of my tanker and used it as a fire engine, with the onbord pumps and hoses they never stoped, i refilled this tanker 3 times today, 3/8 of an olympic swimming pool each time.
> 
> After saving 37 buildings and 12 lives i'll need 3 new tires a new turbo charger a new suspention springs a new two-part right mirror a repair to drive shaft and a new paint job.
> ...



I have a new respect for firefighters after reading that. And you, as well.

Stay safe.


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## WarMocK (Feb 11, 2009)

Werevixen said:


> Eh, I'm not actually trying to troll, but you are by calling people trolls prematurely.
> 
> Anyway, sure. In Belgium the worst weather conditions are lightning storms, no hurricanes, bushfires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions or tsunamis, they're all unheard of. But 96 kilometers per hour for a wall of fire you can see coming miles away? Unless you're driving a Geo Metro on rough terrain, it shouldn't be too hard to outrun it. And if cars burst on fire escaping, did they leave a trail of petrol behind them?



Ok then, you're not trolling (sorry for that) - you have absolutely no idea what goes on in a fire.
Large forest fires have the energy of one or more hydrogen bombs, which is emitted over large areas via radiation. The energy emitted this way is so high that it can set wood (and rubber tires, paint, and plastic) on fire more than a hundred meters away, long before the fire physically reaches the spot. Since the radiation moves at the speed of light (with only the atmosphere slowing it down a little bit) you can imagine how fast a fire can heat something up to the point it goes up in fire.
Additionally the rules for buildings are not comparable to the ones here in europe. I don't know about Belgium, but here in Germany, you're not allowed to build a house closer than 50 meters to a forest (IIRC, it was something like that). And our houses here are mainly made of stone and concrete, not of wood (which is one of the reasons why a house here costs about three to four times as much as a house in Australia or the US). Even if we had a fire here, the safety distance and the lack of combustable material exposed to the heat keeps chances low that a house in Europe could go up in flames.


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## coolkidex (Feb 11, 2009)

Shit. The pain keeps coming.


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 11, 2009)

the water presure in the tanker is 585 kps... enough to project a streem of water 145 meters, and i do 'exadurate' a lil

I forgot to say this/\


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 11, 2009)

Moka said:


> I have a new respect for firefighters after reading that. And you, as well.
> 
> Stay safe.


 Thank you, it helps, its very hard seeing dead people burned beyond identifycation and live people missing 65% of there skin, and countless roadkill running from the fire, it takes a heavy mental toll.


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## Werevixen (Feb 11, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> And uh... do you know much about terrain out in rural Australia? It ain't exactly the fuckin' autobahn, mate.



I own a 1968 Simca MillÃ© and I manage to reach topspeed in rough terrain. And I'm talking slippery mud, not grippy dry bush...

And if you think I'm overreacting about the top speed thing... top speed is 58mph.


Granted, my car would probably get alot of belly scrapes in the bush.


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## Xaerun (Feb 11, 2009)

Werevixen said:


> I own a 1968 Simca MillÃ© and I manage to reach topspeed in rough terrain. And I'm talking slippery mud, not grippy dry bush...
> 
> And if you think I'm overreacting about the top speed thing... top speed is 58mph.
> 
> ...


Paint the windows black, then try.
(oh, and you don't win if you reach top speed and drive into anything. You have to drive for at least an hour or so with all windows opaque, without crashing and dying/wrecking your vehicle.)


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## blackfuredfox (Feb 11, 2009)

my god, if there was any way to help you all i would be over there in an instant. sadly i can't, but at least you have some consistency in your weather. here we had snow fall in febuary which became freezing rain and broke down many trees and made the roads unusable. my room is wedged between 3 trees and surprisingly didn't get hit while many landed on my roof. after my dad picked me up when the roads became "usable" my neighborhood looked like we just got hit with artillery fire from FT. Knox. the lines broke and many were left powerless and cold including me. some with generators died from carbon monoxide. then we got 70 F and melted some of the snow and we felt better after a 60 F rise then today we got hit with wind storms, more power outages and damage currently is unknown but 100,000 without power. but this is nothing in comparison to yours magi, xaerun, and other Aussies, please you say your safe, don't lie.


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## Tycho (Feb 11, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> Paint the windows black, then try.
> (oh, and you don't win if you reach top speed and drive into anything. You have to drive for at least an hour or so with all windows opaque, without crashing and dying/wrecking your vehicle.)



And no whining when your tires start melting.


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## Xaerun (Feb 11, 2009)

blackfuredfox said:


> my god, if there was any way to help you all i would be over there in an instant. sadly i can't, but at least you have some consistency in your weather.


Hahaha, oh wow. Victorian weather sucks ass, my friend.

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/200902/html/IDCJDW2072.200902.shtml
Doesn't represent it too well, but it was 46 one day, then in two it was back in the twenties? Lolwut? Oh, and the way our day warms is weird; frequently we'll have days wherein the hottest part of the day is 6:00 PM (the day gets hotter and hotter and hotter, then the sun goes down and the temperature drops to the 'teens.)
*EDIT* Whoops. That's _Lake_ Victoria. My bad. Nonetheless, our temps were similar and after class I'll dig up our table.



blackfuredfox said:


> here we had snow fall in febuary which became freezing rain and broke down many trees and made the roads unusable. my room is wedged between 3 trees and surprisingly didn't get hit while many landed on my roof. after my dad picked me up when the roads became "usable" my neighborhood looked like we just got hit with artillery fire from FT. Knox. the lines broke and many were left powerless and cold including me. some with generators died from carbon monoxide. then we got 70 F and melted some of the snow and we felt better after a 60 F rise then today we got hit with wind storms, more power outages and damage currently is unknown but 100,000 without power.


Shit. That shit be hardcore.



blackfuredfox said:


> but this is nothing in comparison to yours magi, xaerun, and other Aussies, please you say your safe, don't lie.


I am safe, personally. I live in the middle of a town that is a reasonable distance away, and there is now next to zero chance the fires will reach me.



Tycho said:


> And no whining when your tires start melting.


That too. Maybe we'll stick some loved ones in to scream in your ear, some dying neighbours on the way, just for atmosphere.


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 12, 2009)

I was fighting the fires again today, the guys i picked up off the road yesterday requested to be posted with me, they feel safe with me driving.

the heat out here is unreal, side panals on my truck have warped, the driver-side door wont open and i need a new battery!

(forgive my spelling and grammer, i have 2nd degree burns on my right hand)

we need the money down here, please donate if you can, it'll get worse before it gets beter


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## Magikian (Feb 13, 2009)

Updated according to recent news.

Also: They caught someone who lit one of the fires. They are treating him as insane.


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## the_last_centaur (Feb 13, 2009)

Those fuckers that lit these fires are going to be charged with 130 counts of 2nd degree murder! each!!

I need hugs, all this death and distruction is geting to my head, i'm beter off than these firefighters i picked up off the side of the road, thay had buddy's die in the fires, the other two guys in that firetruck lost i told you about.

We need help down here, anything you can give, give it, food, clothes, whatever, if you ever lost everything you know i'll give you something.

do you know what karma is, if you do something good or bad someone somewhere will do exactly the same thing to/for you, what goes around comes around!


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## Zareth (Feb 13, 2009)

holy shit. first the plane crashed into Buffalo, now this?

Who the hell says Friday isn't bad luck? i'm in a fucking wheelchair from slipping on ice, today o.o but i'll be okay x3


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## Magikian (Feb 13, 2009)

Zareth said:


> holy shit. first the plane crashed into Buffalo, now this?
> 
> Who the hell says Friday isn't bad luck? i'm in a fucking wheelchair from slipping on ice, today o.o but i'll be okay x3



You do know this has been going on for a week now?


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## Zareth (Feb 13, 2009)

Magikian said:


> You do know this has been going on for a week now?




Well, no. if I did, I'd have mentioned it >_> Still sucks to hear though =/ hope they get it out soon.


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## Xaerun (Feb 14, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Updated according to recent news.
> 
> Also: They caught someone who lit one of the fires. They are treating him as insane.


He was also in possession of child pornography.


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## Hydramon (Feb 14, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> He was also in possession of child pornography.


 Yeah, that was in the newspapers here. Charged with that, intentional starting of a fire causing death, and I forget the other. But I'm glad to see that you and Magikian are alright.


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## Xaerun (Feb 14, 2009)

Hydramon said:


> Yeah, that was in the newspapers here. Charged with that, intentional starting of a fire causing death, and I forget the other. But I'm glad to see that you and Magikian are alright.



People have commented a journal entry I posted this morning asking if I was still alive.
*facepalm*


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## WarMocK (Feb 14, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> People have commented a journal entry I posted this morning asking if I was still alive.
> *facepalm*


Au hur!
That one hurt! xD xD xD


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## Hydramon (Feb 14, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> People have commented a journal entry I posted this morning asking if I was still alive.
> *facepalm*


 *headdesk* Furries are idiots...


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## Tycho (Feb 14, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> People have commented a journal entry I posted this morning asking if I was still alive.
> *facepalm*



No, I'm dead, I'm just "ghostwriting" for myself! Ha! Ha! I kill me! Oh wait, I'm already dead!


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## Magikian (Feb 14, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> People have commented a journal entry I posted this morning asking if I was still alive.
> *facepalm*



Wow.

That makes total sense.


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## Xaerun (Feb 15, 2009)

Magikian said:


> Wow.
> 
> That makes total sense.


Furries. They're known for making sense.


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## Midi Bear (Feb 15, 2009)

Hydramon said:


> *headdesk* People are idiots...


Fixed.

HAY TYCHO HOW DU I GOAST RITE?


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## Tycho (Feb 15, 2009)

Midi Bear said:


> Fixed.
> 
> HAY TYCHO HOW DU I GOAST RITE?



...That isn't a serious question is it? I hope not.  Gods I hope not.


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## Xaerun (Feb 15, 2009)

Midi Bear said:


> Fixed.
> 
> HAY TYCHO HOW DU I GOAST RITE?


Holy christ that's a scary avatar.


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## Midi Bear (Feb 15, 2009)

Tycho said:


> ...That isn't a serious question is it? I hope not.  Gods I hope not.


Dead. Fucking. Serious.


Xaerun said:


> Holy christ that's a scary avatar.


At least you don't need to be scared of the bush fire now. :3


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## Xaerun (Feb 15, 2009)

Midi Bear said:


> Dead. Fucking. Serious.
> 
> At least you don't need to be scared of the bush fire now. :3



It sure did distract me, from both the bushfire and The Game.


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## Midi Bear (Feb 15, 2009)

Xaerun said:


> The Game.


*Bitchslap*



>:C


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