6 January 2008

Tumut is loose

| johnboy
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Now I want you all to stay calm, but…

The ABC reports that the fire near Tumut has escaped its containment lines.

Tumut is in NSW so it’s someone else’s problem. But it’s also just 40km away, so if the wind blows from the West it could be here in an hour or so.

On the bright side we conducted the world’s biggest backburn in 2003 so at least there’s not too much major forest on the Western approaches.

Forecast for today? 34 and winds from the North West.

Ouch.

There’s a cold front tommorrow morning to look forward to.

*Note: Phil Koperberg is saying it would require “most unusual” circumstances to bring the fire to the ACT.

UPDATED: The CT is saying there’s no threat to Canberra but only to the properties between Canberra and Tumut.

Go figure.

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I’m not so much worried about Canberra, it’s the mates I have up in Tumut i’m concerned about.

Guys from my brigade are currently out there and doing what they can… it was never contained as someone pointed out earlier. The cold fronts are a blessing and so is the spot of rain but this doesnt mean much unless we get a major rain dump!
Canberra is clearly safe at this point, I’d say Victoria has much more to worry about than Canberra does.

Got an update earlier from someone who was up the spotting towers, won’t say too much but expect kosciusko to be an ashtray soon.

All I can say is god bless cold fronts

Surely it would have to be Mikelangelo, the balkan elvis!

Could we give the Canberra ‘Elvis’ a Canberracentric nom de plume whilst based here?

link [Ed – *sigh*]

Regular updates.

Where’s the ACT ‘Elvis’ chopper this week?

uncontained means that the fire is still able to move outside its current boundaries, containment lines (firebreaks, roads or backburns) may be in for a percentage of the perimeter but not 100%. Given the nature of the country and the pine forest its burning in surrounding it in a firebreak is very difficult. Even firebreaks are breached by spotting in a strong wind something which pine trees are really good at.

What wonderful misreporting. I’ve been keeping a close eye on status of that fire and it never was classified as ‘contained’ by the RFS.
How can an uncontained fire escape its containment lines?

Perhaps a RiotACT symbolic protest is in order at the LA? A group of people standing around with their heads in buckets of sand. It symbolises our support for our great goivernment…

…and drop a cigarette butt. I blame the tobacco companies for all this.

“Seriously, if there was a threat Our Brave Leader â„¢ would have mobilised the RFA, SES, St Johns Ambos, Urban Firies, US National Guard, Batemans bay Auxillary Coast Guard, and the CWA.

As he has not, I very much doubt there is any danger.”

You mean like last time? We’ll know we’re in the brown stuff when he turns his mobile phone off.

Oh, hang on, JB said it…

The Chief Miniscule has been too busy doing radio i/v’s on schools, for some reason.
I heard this fire could be here in one hour, given the right (wrong) wind conditions.

What we should be worried about is the fire moving into the Cotter catchment area. That could be a disaster.

I’d be very surprised if it’s as bad a the big one in 2003. Actually, a regular burn through there would probably do the forest the world of good – keep undergrowth and dry sticks under control.

Thanks JB – Ill be keepin an eye on that one – maybe I can get an early mark to remove my tin of goodies from my house to my car and get on the roof and do manly things to protect my house and samoyed poodle cross 🙂

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