Originally Posted by Ross
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NSW Rural Fire Service is the largest volunteer fire service in the world) but they have been working continuously since September, they are exhausted and there’s no end in sight.
- in scale and ferocity this has gone way way past the experience of California in regards to bush fires

Been there, done that, got singed a couple of times when the fire front developed its own wind and advanced faster than anyone could run, just lucky to have an escape route. This was on the northern outskirts of Sydney back in the late '60s early '70s. Since then the city has spread significantly and there is now whole communities where once there were only bush tracks and/or small farms. I have seen some pretty severe fires but what is happening now is worse than anything we could have even imagined then. Not just in severity but the area covered is unprecedented.

In 1969 the whole of Australia had a population of a little over 12 million. Now more that half that number live in the greater Sydney area alone. We are talking about changes that have occurred in just 50 years. Goodness only knows what the next 50 years will bring.

Peter

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