Last year, 12 million hectares were burnt - with the deaths of 33 people and one billion animals. Hundreds of properties were also destroyed. And now, the omens for this year are not good.

Temperatures of 47.5c were encountered this weekend, with Sydney having its hottest November night on record. Recording a LOW of 25.3c at 1am on Sunday; this followed two consecutive days of 40c+, also a record.

On Sunday, more than 60 bush and grass fires were being fought in New South Wales. After 4 years of drought - which had given way to rain - grass fires have now become a major concern.

It’s always been like this.. Australia has a harsh summer climate.. not every year it’s unbearably hot, some years in Melbourne for example you might only get a few days of scorching heat.. the desalination plant has never been switched on.. The climate change (formally known as global warming) activists always ring alarm bells but bushfires are nothing new.

It’s the stupid urbanisation of building houses and holiday communities in areas that have a history of such events..

Ash Wednesday and Black Friday in Melbourne were devastating but these tragedies are still quite rare.. maybe once every 20? years or something.. (guessing the frequency).

Never the less it’s a terrible loss of life and property when these things strike.

Little Sausage wrote:
It’s always been like this.. Australia has a harsh summer climate.. not every year it’s unbearably hot, some years in Melbourne for example you might only get a few days of scorching heat.. the desalination plant has never been switched on.. The climate change (formally known as global warming) activists always ring alarm bells but bushfires are nothing new.

It’s the stupid urbanisation of building houses and holiday communities in areas that have a history of such events..

Ash Wednesday and Black Friday in Melbourne were devastating but these tragedies are still quite rare.. maybe once every 20? years or something.. (guessing the frequency).

Never the less it’s a terrible loss of life and property when these things strike.

Lightening and cars back firing can cause forest fires.

Barney have you actually travelled and I don't mean a day trip to the Suffolk coast.