Mega-Fire' Fears Grip Australia As Dozens Of Blazes Rage

[Purveyor]

Source: NBC NEWS

By Alexander Smith, NBC News contributor

Three large wildfires burning in southeastern Australia could merge into one colossal “mega-fire” and threaten the suburbs of Sydney, officials warned Monday.

A state of emergency was put into effect in New South Wales on Sunday after more than 200 homes were destroyed and many more damaged beyond repair by the country's most widespread bushfires for more than a decade.

More than 60 wildfires were burning across the state on Monday, including 14 which were out of control. The largest blaze has a 190-mile front and was burning just a two-hour drive from Australia’s largest city.

--CLIP
“We are worried these [three] fires have the potential to join up and become a mega-fire,” New South Wales Fire Inspector Andrew Luke told NBC News. “We are focusing back-burning operations in an attempt to stop this happening but conditions over the next 48 hours are deteriorating and it’s really going to come down to how these develop.”

Read more: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/21/21061180-mega-fire-fears-grip-australia-as-dozens-of-blazes-rage?lite

[mountain grammy]

1. Wonder how the new climate denier PM will work out for Australia..

[Katashi_itto]

2. Exactly, my sympathy has dried up for any nation/state that continues to elect these bozos

[roguevalley]

3. mine hasn't. when you feel that way think about the

children who live there. the elderly and the innocent flora and fauna trapped there.

[Katashi_itto]

5. Darwin at work.

[roguevalley]

6. I actually know people there. Your

remarks are sick. but then, when something bad happens to you what then? Darwin????

[Katashi_itto]

8. When you consistently vote or allow people that destroy the region/world

it's Darwin at work. That applies to me for not doing enough too.

All that matters is if we humans are capable of adapting. Obviously humanity is failing that.

Nature doesn't put "morality" on it, doesn't care if my remarks "are sick". It just is.

Several theories already have Australia uninhabitale in less than a hundred years. Where I live too.

The climate will change and we either adapt, fix it, or perish.

It very simple.

[roguevalley]

9. no it isnt that simple. ayn rand may

think so. I would assume that you wish the same fate for America, to die too? We vote for ass hats too, some of us. Does that include us in your calculus? Given your indifference to the fate of Australia because some of them vote for idiots, so goes America. You can't have it both ways. And I feel for anyone who is so certain that empathy is not a part of the equation. The other side finds empathy in the face of certitude limiting as well.

Darwinism. BULLSHIT! Social darwinism is responsible for WWII. Nice linkage there.

[Katashi_itto]

10. No I am looking at human nature. You read to much human concepts of morality into this.

It's very simple we adapt or die. So far we aren't adapting. So far Australia and American vote idiots into office. So far Civilizations are not adapting and Nature will not give one whit if we have empathy for each other or not.

That's humans grafting morality onto the Human condition, seeking meaning and also morality itself for Humans is a survival trait. In truth Life is cheap.

When I was in Calcutta and Ethiopia I saw how much "morality" there really was. Look at the Teabaggers, the sociopaths movement, unable themselves to adapt to a changing society.

When it all comes down to it. None of it matters except do we adjust or fix our situation or do we kick the can down the road till its to late for our species?

You want to bring up WWII fine although there is no linkage. You want to bring up Ayn Rand although no linkage there. Rand just wanted an excuse to be a sociopath herself, have all the benefits of a society but none of the responsibility. Societies are subject themselves to Darwinism they must adapt or perish too.

[kentauros]

7. Darwin is dead.

And I'd love to give the Darwin Award a Darwin Award. That meme needs to be excised from our consciousness. It's a tool used by the callous and anti-compassionate.

[AverageJoe90]

4. And the N.S.W. state Conservatives just completed a *massive* cut to fire services.....

for the rural areas.

Even climate skeptics and "slash-and-cut" cons are going to have to see just how much of a disaster this could become: it was bad enough that a rare spring grass fire got this destructive already; but undoubtedly, the cuts in fire services are sure to increase the possibility of making the problem far worse.

Anyone who can't see the serious additional harm that ends up being caused by such needless mass trimming of fire & other emergency services, when a major disaster strikes, is truly delusional.....regardless of whether or not they believe in climate change(Off the record, I and about 99% of the rest of us on DU *do*, though.)