19 thoughts on “Fires in Australia”

  2. It is very frightening and sad. We have lost 173 people so far and many are still not accounted for. They are estimating over 200 dead. More than 5000 people are homeless and the fire still rages on. It is about 40 mins from my home and all I can do is donate. everyone has banded together and are doing what they can but it feel like so little….

    Does anyone know where Ana lives? I notice that she hasn’t commented for the last few days and am feeling anxious. What state is she in?

    xxoo

  3. My heart feels for you, Bitsy. I have been watching CNN as they update often and it’s truly horrible. I noticed Ana didn’t reply either and I hope she is OK too. Take care, Sweets!!

  5. bits, i’m glad to know you’re ok, i’m glad DJ put up the Red Cross link, i’m heading there next.

    Mike, I second the motion, and would be glad to help, i’d make it last a couple days anyway.

    Nothing is too cruel a punishment for this type of indiscriminate mass murder.

  7. This tragedy is hard enough to bear, especially for those who’ve lost loved ones, without the sensationalist journalism of such as the Boston page (I’m not criticising you, Jonco!). The inaccuracies of the page were bad enough but when people can’t even grieve without having photos taken is appalling. My best friend got out but her parents didn’t. They tried to stay and fight, not knowing how quickly fire was engulfing houses (as little as a few minutes in many cases). I was caught up in the ’83 bushfires … memories that will forever haunt me.

  8. Effluvium- I had been wondering what the feeling about the media was. I couldn’t watch all the ACA type shows last night. Just let people grieve without a camera in their face. My thoughts are with you and your friend. Please tell me if I can help.

  9. Thanks Bits … I wasn’t personally affected, thankfully – I’m just trying to support my friend in any way I can. There has been a huge outpouring of goodwill and empathy around the world which, while it can’t take away the pain, is at least a healing balm. And the weather is finally being kinder to us too!

  10. Effluvium, I’m very sorry about your friend’s parents. It’s hard not to start shedding tears when thinking of this time. I can’t possibly imagine what it’s like for people who lost loved ones, homes, and their pets/livestock. The CFA are true heroes and without their bravery I’m sure many more lives would’ve been lost. There is one photo that made me smile today:

  11. Makes you wonder….

    Josh Gordon, The Age (Melbourne), September 7, 2008

    AUSTRALIA has been singled out as a target for “forest jihad” by a group of Islamic extremists urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.

    US intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the US, Europe and Russia to “start forest fires”, claiming “scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels’ forests when they do the same to our lands”.

    The website, posted by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the “eye for an eye” doctrine.

    The posting—which instructs jihadis to remember “forest jihad” in summer months—says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that “this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time”.

    “Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires,” the website says. “You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia.”

    With the nation heading into another hot, dry summer, Australian intelligence agencies are treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism as a serious concern.

    Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Federal Government remained “vigilant against such threats”, warning that anyone caught lighting a fire as a weapon of terror would feel the wrath of anti-terror laws.

    “Any information that suggests a threat to Australia’s interests is investigated by relevant agencies as appropriate,” Mr McClelland said.

    Adam Dolnik, director of research at the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, said that bushfires (unlike suicide bombing) were generally not considered a glorious type of attack by jihadis, in keeping with a recent decline in the sophistication of terrorist operations.

    “With attacks like bushfires, yes, it would be easy. It would be very damaging and we do see a decreasing sophistication as a part of terrorist attacks,” Dr Dolnik said.

    “In recent years, there have been quite a few attacks averted and it has become more and more difficult for groups to do something effective.”

    Dr Dolnik said he had observed an increase in traffic on jihadi websites calling for a simplification of terrorist attacks because the more complex operations had been failing. But starting bushfires was still often regarded as less effective than other operations because governments could easily deny terrorism as the cause.

    The internet posting by the little-known group claimed the idea of forest fires had been attributed to imprisoned Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Suri. It said Al-Suri had urged terrorists to use sulphuric acid and petrol to start forest fires.

  13. NotBurningYet – Whoa!–Thanks for that article…it’s from 5 months ago! Is there any more on this possibility being talked about down there currently? In the riots in France a few years ago, it seemed like a worldwide media coverup was going on…the rioters were referred to as ‘angry French youths’, ‘jobless immigrants’ from areas of the city ‘dominated by public housing blocks’ in ‘largely immigrant communities’. For example…
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4405620.stm
    As it turned out, with a few minutes of further searching, the rioters were young Islamic immigrants from ‘North Africa’.

  14. I am wondering about the terrorism angle myself. If it is, I hope Australia will treat this as their 9-11. And then not wimp out like Spain did.

    This is something we will have to beware of this summer in America. Not only do we have sleeper cells here in America, but Eco-nazis that could very well do similar terrorist acts.

    Guard SGT (ret)

  17. My parents live about 8kms from where some of this was happening, but luckily they weren’t effected by it as much as some people were. Apparently the ground was black with soot and the sky was orange and red from all the flames in the smoke. You could see maybe 100 meters before it all became horrible orange smoke… We get fires down there almost every summer, but this is insane…

  18. I found another post by Ana and she is in Vic and was about an hour from the fires too. She might live near me!

    There is no talk at all of terrorism. I had never herad of this as a possiblility. It is not a very affective fear tactic for Australia. We expect fire every season, this one is the worst because it was close to people. I don’t think it is the largest we have had just the most fatal. It was also burning on the most fire friendly day on record. Hot dry and strong winds. It is not released yet but it is looking like the tally will go over 300.

  19. i’m an aussie girl from way back and my heart and soul goes out to all the people in the fire area. And from what i’ve heard the fire has deliberately been lighted. shame

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