Bushfires
We had some really horrific bushfires here last week, 181 dead so far, several rural communities wiped out, most had very little to no warning. I remember when I lived in the country I helped out backburning during the winter and remember just how intense the heat was, it was unbelievable, like a furnace and those were controlled burn-offs.
I can only imagine what people go through stuck in that kind of environment, in some places there was just a wall of flame at times over a hundred feet high traveling at high speed due to the wind and extremely dry conditions. It must be hell on earth. Seeing the images of the aftermath is just heart-wrenching, from the cars that were caught on the path of the fire and incinerated on the roads the heat was so intense that metals from the vehicles liquefied and pooled on the roads where they cooled and solidified after the fire passed.
A lot of the damage was caused by fuel, most cars ignited because of the heat, even those not in the direct path of the fire. Many of the houses literally exploded as gas and other fuels ignited by the heat alone.
As much as human pain and suffering bothers me, it is the pain and suffering of animals that bothers me more, so many cats, dogs and other animals that suffered varying degrees of burns, smoke inhalation or severe dehydration. When you see images of wild animals that are so exhausted and injured they let humans take care of them it really makes me sad.
I can only imagine what people go through stuck in that kind of environment, in some places there was just a wall of flame at times over a hundred feet high traveling at high speed due to the wind and extremely dry conditions. It must be hell on earth. Seeing the images of the aftermath is just heart-wrenching, from the cars that were caught on the path of the fire and incinerated on the roads the heat was so intense that metals from the vehicles liquefied and pooled on the roads where they cooled and solidified after the fire passed.
A lot of the damage was caused by fuel, most cars ignited because of the heat, even those not in the direct path of the fire. Many of the houses literally exploded as gas and other fuels ignited by the heat alone.
As much as human pain and suffering bothers me, it is the pain and suffering of animals that bothers me more, so many cats, dogs and other animals that suffered varying degrees of burns, smoke inhalation or severe dehydration. When you see images of wild animals that are so exhausted and injured they let humans take care of them it really makes me sad.