Australian Wildlife
Bush Fire

One of the many problems faced by the Australian native timber forests (the bush) is drought and fire.

In drought times, death for plants and animals comes slowly. Some animals and birds can migrate to other areas, but the trees and shrubs simply have to hang on as long as possible. Destruction by fire is fast. A bush fire can spring up without warning and travel at frightening speed. A recent outbreak on the western side of Lake Macquarie where we live gave us an example of the speed and ferocity of a bush fire.

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Someone at work said there is a fire on the other side of the lake.

I worked in an industrial estate about five km east of Lake Macquarie. From the street I looked westwards towards home and see smoke billowing over the horizon.

Fires in the bush are not uncommon in the drier summer months and the smoke only indicated the general direction of the blaze. It could be many miles away.

Message on radio saying fire heading for our suburb.

I rang my wife who was home alone and she said there is heavy smoke everywhere. We decide that I should come home so I finish my work early and depart at 4.30 pm.

On topping the last rise before the lake I suddenly discover the fire is much closer to our home than I first thought.

Reporter on car radio says people being evacuated.

On reaching the eastern edge of the lake I can see the whole western side is alight.

The fire appeared to be everywhere and spreading. I hasten to get home, not stopping for fuel as planned earlier. The radio says things are getting worse and roads being blocked.

Traffic hold-up and I can see the fire is spreading.

Reporter on radio says all approach roads from the north are blocked. I quickly do a U-turn to back-track before being stuck in the growing line of traffic.

I decide to drive around the southern end of the lake even though it is a 50 km trip.  I go as fast as possible, but it takes more than an hour due to the peak hour traffic.

I get within 10 km of home and road is blocked

A police officer is stopping all the traffic and even though I explain my wife is home alone, the officer won't let me past.

I take a detour through the bush to a back road and get within 5 km of my home before another police officer stops me. I explain my wife is in there somewhere, but he won't let me through.

I back-track again in search for another way home.

Thirty kms or so later I run out of LPG and switch over to petrol. I am finally on the northern approach after driving a complete circle and get home just on 9.30 pm, five hours after I started.

We were fortunate and the fire passed by our home. Others were not so lucky and a house at the top of our street was completely destroyed.

We thank the fire fighters and organisers.

Things could have been a lot worse if not for the fire brigades and volunteer fighters. Their efforts to save people and property were organised and effective.

The Fassisfern school on the left is just one of hundreds of examples of how buildings were saved in extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.

The bush will recover as it always does and hopefully we will learn something from this experience.

Forests are one of our greatest natural reserves of solar energy. Careful use and replacement of trees will provide us with fuel and timber for centuries so long as we don't destroy them or their habitat. Forest fires are a terrible waste of resources and it is everyone's responsibility to prevent them.

We hope you enjoyed our little story of a real life situation that we don't want to live through again.

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