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Canberra Bushfires

Chaos Butterfly

Chaos Butterfly

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Oct 16, 2000
Messages
10,382
Location
Sydney
how fucked is this. i mean i go to sleep and hear that 40 houses have burned down, i wake up and smh.com is saying that there are now 400 houses destroyed and 2 people dead.
for me its really fucked as my family live down there and there are fires about 2-3 kms away from my house, and the water has been cut as a pump burnt out... its a little scary, and a bit frustrating as i am up here in Sydney and i can't do anything about it, not that i think that i could actually do anything.
i grew up in the area that is the most affected and i probably know people who have lost their homes and everything. its really scary.
anyway, i just needed to vent, and am happy that my family are safe at the moment, and am hoping that they are going to stay safe.
CB.
 
I was just about to start this thread and wish all the ppl in Canberra the best in what must be a hell on earth scenario. The fires sound pretty manic and relentless. Good wishes and hope to all putting up with it.
 
yeah i have been trying to contact a close friend in canberra over the last 24hours and cant get through...im hell worried bout him and pray he is ok.im sure he will be but a bit of re-assurance would be great.im not sure if anyone can help but i have been trying his mobile but all i get is a message saying: the mobile you are calling cannot take calls. i have never heard this message before. its not turned off or it would say and i know he is pre paid so there shouldnt be any trouble.
i know hes got Telstra as a service so does anyone else know if the tower or something has been damaged cause of the fires? cause i cant get through...
 
I have an Aunt and Uncle who live on a fenceline near an area that has been prone to bushfires. My Grandmother & Grandfather, plus a great friend from high school also live Canberra.
I've been trying to call them... no answer.
[ 19 January 2003: Message edited by: Raving Loony ]
 
Just wanted to send out best wishes to those BL'ers and family and friends and anyone else affected by the fires ..
Police reported some looting in Canberra's south. <-- i think thats the most farked up thing ... after so many suburbs and people have been evacuted, and so many people have already lost a shitload of stuff .. people still wanna go and attempt to take wotever little belongs people have left.
To those affected, the main thing to look forward to is that you are still alive and you still have your memories and family which are the three most important things.
All the best to everyone out there .. *hugs*
 
Well, I only set my PC up about an hour and a half ago, because it was packed in the back of a car, ready to evacuate.
I get a call from my Dad, who happened to be in Wodonga, yesterday afternoon, telling me that residents had been asked to return to their homes in the suburb I live in. I'm in the city, so I got a lift home with fb1, then frantically tried to figure out what was going on...
My aunt and uncle rock up, I run up on the roof, clean all the gutters out, fill them with water, etc...
It was looking scary for a while, the family got back a few hours later (after cutting short their weekend), and it all started to die down around 1am or so.
Today was good, not much wind and very smoky, which meant the fires didn't travel far, and it wasn't near as hot as they though.
Tomorrow's gonna be bad though, 37 degrees or so, and gusty winds again...
 
starfalls69 - I imagine that trying to get through to anyone in Canberra right now is near impossible. The mobile networks would be ridiculously busy and many essential services, including phone connections, in Canberra aren't working.
I just saw on the news that they've set up a number for people like yourself trying to find out about family and friends who live in the areas affected. It's 13 22 81. You could also call the the Red Cross number - 1800 339 888.
I hope your friend is safe and well.
 
Please don't call 13 22 81, that's the Canberra Connect number being used to give information about the fire status and road closures. All you'll do is make it harder for people to get important info about the fires.
Call the 1800 number, that was set up by the Red Cross to find out info about people. :)
And all seems to be OK today, it's been a shiteload quieter, and they've been setting up firebreaks and the like. Most of the cavalry (interstate fireys) should have arrived as well, so hopefully the next few days aren't too bad.
It doesn't look like many Canberra BL'ers have been too affected by this fire either, I've talked to as many as possible, and most don't live near the fire fronts.
 
This is simply terrible. I can't get over the magnitude of the destruction, when comparing it to the Sydney bushfires of 1994 and last year. In those cases we heard stories of 10 or 12 houses being destroyed in a single firestorm, but 388 homes destroyed seems just beyond comprehension.
My heart certainly goes out to all the people who have been affected by this, although i don't have anybody close to me living down there i can share in small part their anguish by seeing how many lives have been destroyed on the news.
Although it's hard at this point to assess the total damage, i think it's fair to say this is the single greatest natural disaster in Australia's history. Let's just hope that the worst of it is behind us.
 
Hi guys,
I think the bushfires took most of us by surprise. I drove up to Sydney yesterday morning to visit a family member. Someone said, in passing comment, that the bushfires were particularly bad, and asked if they were close to my house.
I said no, they are far away in the Namadgi National Park. I hadn't heard any news at all and didn't know that residential areas were in danger.
It was only once I turned off the Hume Highway to the Federal Hwy that I realised something was up. I couldn't see Lake George at all! I tuned into the local radio station and heard the news. The next 3 hours were spent hosing down my house, and my father's house, and helping him evacuate (he's in Richardson, one of the suburbs where evacuation took place).
Now I hear that a workmate (and good friend outside work) lost their house, as well as a good friend's father's house (who was away on holiday at the time).
I am not looking forward to tomorrow. Hot weather is predicted, and I will be busy at work as some of our customers have lost a lot of equipment.
Please keep your fingers crossed for us Canberrans. There is still plenty of bush to burn and I pray that common sense prevails, that people use ashtrays, cut long grass, don't start fires deliberately (obvious enough), as it doesn't take much for one idiot to ruin the lives of hundreds of people.
 
I'm also in Canberra, and my house was without power from 5pm yesterday until nearly 5 today.. which means we have finally been able to reassure relatives and other loved ones that our home is fine. (our phonelines weren't down, but all of our phones need electricity to operate, and the mobile services were stretched way past the limit)
I was on my way back from Wagga when we heard the emergency services announcement, and as the list of suburbs grew, I called my parents and sent them home from wherever they were to look after the house. As we were driving into Canberra, along the Barton HWY, the little that we could see - huge billowing smoke clouds, and as we got closer to the suburbs, the helicopters, it was so hard not to panick.. As we drove further south, the sky became a distinctly brownish red from the light filtering through the smoke, and eventually, at around 4.30pm it looked like we were travelling at night, still with that eery red tinge to the air.
My family had precious things packed up and ready to go - the photos are still in my mum's car - and most of the fire preparations were done by the time I got home, and we spent a tense few hours periodically going up to the car to listen to updated information on the car radio (due to blackout). By about 9pm, our suburb had been removed from the list of warnings, and because of a wind change, we were able to (from the reserve just up the street from us - no car sightseeing) go and see the amazing scene of the brindabellas glowing with patches of fire that almost looked like rivers of lava. There was a spot where the flames must've been at least 100m high as they looked huge even from the distance that we were from it...
I didn't see any pictures of the devastation to properties until late this evening (I was working) and it very nearly brought me to tears. I still haven't heard from a few friends who I know were evacuated from their homes, but am comforted by the fact that it is more than likely they are alright. My thoughts are with the people who still have no power or water and those still at risk of fire, and especially those who have lost properties or loved ones. Both in Canberra and any other area affected by fire.
This next bit is going to be a bit melodramatic, just warning you...
When the smoke clears, the Canberra that I see will be the Canberra of my childhood nightmares.. the beautiful views, foothills and surrounds will be featureless and charred. My soul's sanctuaray place has been razed, and I'm wondering if the peace and serenity I have felt so many times there will return...
I am so very very thankful for everything I have, for the (finally) visible spirit of the people of Canberra, and for what I learnt about myself in the process of deciding for real what I would take if we were evacuated.. Let's hope that the worst of it is definately over..
 
What an unbelievable 24hrs ... Got our power back here at around 4pm today thankfully all family and friends are alright. Thoughts go out to all those that havent been as lucky as I have been. Watching the news has been sad ... Canberra's always been such a small place and seeing so many people that you know losing their homes really hits you.
 
hey thought i better pop my head in and let people know i am safe and well!!
the fires came pretty close to my area, within a few kms totally burnt out Mt Taylor near me!
i was actually over the other side of Canberra on saturday, watching the plume of smoke getting bigger and bigger
by about 3:30 my brother and i decided to cut short our drinking efforts and cab it home, we got most of the way, but were then blocked by police, to which my brother and i promptly said fuck this our dog is back at home!!
i nearly got arrested by a cop because i told him i didnt give a fucking shit if i burn i want to get back to my house!!
so yeah a funny site was 2 pissed lads trekking about 5 or 6 kms with an esky full of beer!
we actually had to walk thru a section of athlon drive (mt taylor) that had just had fire sweep thru it, and was still burning pretty intensely, a car had actually been caught in the fire and was burning as we walked past it, the smoke and heat was not fun to walk thru!
my condolences go out to the people who lost their lives, and their homes, saturday was one of the most surreal days i have ever had in my life, and i just cant imagine what those people who have had everything taken away from them are feeling right now
 
well it's pretty weird to be sitting in new york and reading about your hometown burning down. my thoughts go out to everyone who's been affected by this disaster. stupid bush capital, i guess it was bound to happen eventually. take care everyone.
 
all i can say is fark that was close....within 100mtrs of my house, we were ready to bail as were the neighbours,
im soo happy with the emergency services, they came outta nowhere and worked so hard so quickly..
and a little luck with the wind stopped it in its tracks......
 
Take care, Canberra kids....
I was supposed to be down there on a busines trip this Friday - for all I know, the house I was meant to be staying at has burnt down. My thoughts are with everyone down there.
 
The single most insane afternoon of my life.
Fighting fires like that with garden hoses is not much fun. I was in Rivett fighting the fire front that hit Chapman/Rivett/Duffy...
.... ...
 
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