NHSH

To our Aussi members, I hope you not in harm's way mates, especially in south NSW and Victoria, the fires this year are beyond anything expected, really tragic...

E.Marquez

Oh man it must be bad.I raced in the Outback Challenge 2002, 2003 across the sheep stations surrounding Broken Hill, New South Wales. It was a 10 year drought deal back then. The drought mostly continued from what I've read.

Best wish to our mates down under

NHSH

I remember real hot summers in New South Wales, fires and smoke tainting the sky, but this year exceeded by far...

Butts

Guys, thanks for your concerns and thoughts. YES, its been pretty bad. I've just returned from 3 weeks down helping friends and family affected by 2 fires (Green Wattle and Currowan) both covering approx 1,800 square miles each!!
Most of my friends and family have been very VERY lucky, but unfortunately with the vast size and ferocity some have been utterly devastated.
Good news is the conditions have been good for the last week, with some rainfall and cooler conditions however not nearly enough to counter the threat in its entirety.

Will be a.long summer for sure, with constant threat of fires breaking out again until we have substantial rainfall.

As an aside, my best mate who is in the RFS was fighting the Green Wattle fire before Xmas, when he got caught with a flash over. He was approximately 40 metres from the truck when it happened, unable to see and engulfed in fire and smoke, it was only the quick thinking of the crew in the truck to put their sirens on and honk the horn. Needless to say, he finally made it back to the truck. Unfortunately in the 5 or so minutes it took him to locate and enter the truck he suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his face, hands and legs even though he was wearing full protective gear. I met him on the helicopter pad when he landed at Concord Hospital burns unit. Although talking and lucid, you knew it was pretty bad as he was already blowing up like the michellin man. Next 24 hours were touch and go, but I can report now some 4 weeks later that he has made a remarkable recovery thanks to the brilliant work of the Concord doctors and multiple skin grafts.
Apart from his left ear, you wouldn't even know what he had been through. Very VERY lucky man.

NHSH

Mate, I'm glad to hear your best mate is recovering quick, could have been alot worse under the circumstances, forest fires are crazy, it's hard to gauge distances and speed of moving fire... Let's hope nothing like that and in this scale happen again.