Caporegime
The 2019-2020 bushfire season is shaping up to be the worst in Australian history.
By the numbers:
* >100 different fires
* >30,000 people forced to evacuate
* >2,500 buildings destroyed
* 5.9 million hectares destroyed (that's ~1.8 million hectares larger than Switzerland)
* ~480 million mammals, birds and reptiles lost
* at least human 27 lives lost
My own state of South Australia has suffered devastating losses in the Adelaide Hills region, with 30% of vineyards completely wiped out.
Smoke from the east coast fires has crossed the Tasman Sea, and is now blanketing New Zealand:
As usual, our amazing volunteer firies are risking their lives on the front line:
The US and Canada have sent some of their own firefighters to help. Australian military forces have been deployed in some areas.
In the midst of the tragedy, some amazing stories of courage and community spirit:
(Source).
The entire town of Mallacoota was evacuated to a local beach.
(Source).
We've had an ongoing heatwave for several weeks now. It's currently 43°C here in South Australia; we hit 46°C last week.
![4pCYdYc.jpg 4pCYdYc.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357124-ef895445972b840eb423c85562b00e8f.jpg?hash=74lURZcrhA)
By the numbers:
* >100 different fires
* >30,000 people forced to evacuate
* >2,500 buildings destroyed
* 5.9 million hectares destroyed (that's ~1.8 million hectares larger than Switzerland)
* ~480 million mammals, birds and reptiles lost
* at least human 27 lives lost
![G19atzg.jpg G19atzg.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357117-759a9d56af65930f0796ad9c9aa8f95d.jpg?hash=dZqdVq9lkw)
My own state of South Australia has suffered devastating losses in the Adelaide Hills region, with 30% of vineyards completely wiped out.
Smoke from the east coast fires has crossed the Tasman Sea, and is now blanketing New Zealand:
![PNSUoIo.jpg PNSUoIo.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357118-1b80f5eb27b87f0782feacc947146762.jpg?hash=G4D16ye4fw)
As usual, our amazing volunteer firies are risking their lives on the front line:
The US and Canada have sent some of their own firefighters to help. Australian military forces have been deployed in some areas.
In the midst of the tragedy, some amazing stories of courage and community spirit:
A New South Wales South Coast man has been hailed a "local hero" for ferrying stranded campers to safety on his boat, forced to watch as his own house burnt down.
While fleeing the approaching firestorm on Tuesday, Lake Conjola resident Brett Cripps, 51, noticed tourists stuck on the shore near their caravans.
"I knew I had to help. I yelled out, 'come on, you've got to get out of here'," Mr Cripps told the ABC.
He loaded two families onto his 5-metre boat, including seven children aged from three to 10, and whisked them away from the oncoming flames and to the centre of the lake.
(Source).
The entire town of Mallacoota was evacuated to a local beach.
![17LnqwI.jpg 17LnqwI.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357119-616c1904359a8e7b8e3b53b28534cc67.jpg?hash=YWwZBDWajn)
A Mallacoota mother, whose photo of her 11-year-old son fleeing bushfires has been splashed across news websites and front pages, says she had no idea how much impact it would have when she took the photo.
Allison Marion took the photo of her son Finn driving a boat to safety after the sky in the far-east Victorian seaside town turned blazing red on Tuesday.
The striking image of Finn showed him steering the boat as it carried Allison, her other son Caleb and the family dog, away from the shore of the popular holiday spot to shelter on Goodwin Sands.
(Source).
We've had an ongoing heatwave for several weeks now. It's currently 43°C here in South Australia; we hit 46°C last week.
![fwAh0P8.jpg fwAh0P8.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357120-5d0cab3be658d1a59b1a8836e4b105fd.jpg?hash=XQyrO-ZY0a)
![irIfpn8.jpg irIfpn8.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357121-be384f19506db063a9646ebde94b1c28.jpg?hash=vjhPGVBtsG)
![dHSh0iM.jpg dHSh0iM.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357122-14fb3b49004599e75acf9402a55b505e.jpg?hash=FPs7SQBFme)
![eni4OF5.jpg eni4OF5.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357123-e2cf151b531746a963405ae6d3b8b942.jpg?hash=4s8VG1MXRq)
![4pCYdYc.jpg 4pCYdYc.jpg](https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/data/attachments/357/357124-ef895445972b840eb423c85562b00e8f.jpg?hash=74lURZcrhA)