Fires

You've probably all seen the pictures coming out from the fire in Northern NSW at the moment. It looks absolutely horrendous and frightening. Its a miracle that no human lives have been lost (although countless animals have lost their lives).

These pictures are truly frightening, here and here

This is a part of the world I know really well. I know lots of families in the area, and my best friend lives just 20 kilometres from the fire. With a fire front of 100 kilometres, that's way too close for comfort!

My friend had no power for 24 hours, leaving the authorities to have to door-knock to give her fire updates (fortunately the power has returned now). Ash has been falling from the sky, and my friend is struggling to sleep at night because she wants to be on alert in case they need to leave. Particularly last night when it looked like it was heading in the direction of her town.

Fortunately, last night the wind changed direction, making the fire less of a threat to my friend, however now others will be experiencing the same fear.

I remember previous bad fires in the area, but nothing has ever come close to this one. My heart really goes out to those that lost their homes, pets and livelihoods.

Additionally, the loss of wildlife must be horrendous. Wildlife didn't stand a chance, with a fire that moved that quickly and one that was so large. Read this article about the loss of farm animals and some of the native wildlife.