AU Bushfires Emergency: 'Apocalypse,' 'Gates of Hell,' Flames Rip Through Towns, Evacuation

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Australia ABC News; Dec. 31, 2019. (8 mins.).

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1. Map of SE Australia

[yuiyoshida]

2. Kinda like

whats happening in California...

[appalachiablue]

3. Yup, real serious stuff in dangerous times. Good to see you!

[ancianita]

8. I read that CA flew firefighters/firefighting equipment to Oz to help, immediately after getting

CA fires under control. Firefighting can't expand and move fast enough these days.

Glad you're back from hell, Yo, and hope each day moves you faster toward healing.

[Blue_true]

4. Has Captain Dumbass told them how they can prevent forest fires,

while he keeps his head shoved firmly up his ass on the reality of climate change?

[catbyte]

5. Jesus, it just gets worse every year. What a tragedy.

[Aussie105]

6. The tragedy goes deep.

The firefighters are mostly volunteers.

Young blokes, doing the hero thing.

A few have been killed, leaving behind young families.

Government talking heads do the 'thoughts and prayers' bit, but to go a bit deeper:

Life insurance: If you have some, does it cover getting killed fighting local wildfires?

Honestly, time to get serious, Australia. Paid service ($1K per day?) for the fire fighters, automatic health and life insurance cover for those that are injured or die on the job.

The problem of wildfires is no longer a job for a few enthusiastic locals.

'Thoughts and prayers' just doesn't cover it.

[Gumboot]

7. The only graphic that mattered in 2019.

That giant USA-sized hot-spot on the Earth's surface is going to cause serious knock-on effects, way beyond the thousands of tons of particulates released into the upper atmosphere, trapping ever more heat.

Remember, the Australian summer is only just getting started, and it's already hotter than downtown Phoenix in July.

My heart breaks for all those good folks (and poor unfortunate animals) caught up in this hellscape, while their right-wing-nut-job government does absolutely nothing.