Huge fire in Margs

[Mad_Aussie]

I've got friends and family down in maggot creek, and this is a pretty serious blaze that's happening down there. Xanadu wines and Leeuwin Estate are closed, a whole bunch of houses have been lost, and something like 1,800 hectares have been burned out.

Live coverage:
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/live-coverage-was-bushfire-emergency-20111124-1nvog.html

Hoping everyone stays safe down that way.
There's another fire burning up near Canning Mills Rd (afaik), houses were at risk last time I heard any updates from there at around lunch time.

[TJ]

House on the front page of the newspaper is a friends... well was a friends.

Sposed to be going south next weekend. Hope everyone is ok down there.

[Brockas]

I bet the DEC are feeling a bit hot under the collar.

[Gr3mlin]

Fucking CALM, the amount of time they have screwed up over the years goes beyond belief!

[pgc]

I bet the DEC are feeling a bit hot under the collar.

I see what you did there Brockas - you're on fire!

[mr_mike]

just said on the news then 21 homes and 9 chalets have been lost. fire disaster twice in one year!

[TJ]

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393641_10150373748586227_565376226_8847570_1437225 43_n.jpg

Imagine finding out like that that your house is now in ruins

[cplagz]

It's pretty bad down there. Mrs' old man is one of the volunteer fireys @ Margs and their house is within the 2km exclusion zone now, so if you leave you can't go back in. Hopefully the wind will settle down tonight and they can get it under control but this NE all morning and now N/NW is playing havoc as it's pushing the fire into unburnt areas. It jumped caves road up north near burnside and is threatening to jump the river if the wind doesn't back off.

[TJ]

I believe it jumped the river a couple of hours ago Marc.

[shifted]

Fire bug or random blaze due to heat? (sorry, haven't looked into)

If fire bug - capital punishment seems a fantastic deterrent to future spastics thinking of committing such crimes - beyond belief!

Hope everyone is ok and what's lost can be regained.

[mr_mike]

its all over the news the fire is known to of started after a DEC control burn jumped containment lines

[mav_vlt]

my mum was down there for the week, i only found out there was a fire after work today. looks like its all good now though

[mr_mike]

my mum was down there for the week, i only found out there was a fire after work today. looks like its all good now though

25km long out of control fire front, 30 buildings lost, hundreds evacuated................ yeh its all sweet

[PSI 304]

I was down at Prevelly beach on Tuesday. Saw a couple little smoke trails on the hills which were obviously the 'controlled burns' which have turned out to start this event... Glad to hear there have been no lives lost yet. Fingers crossed it can all be contained soon!

[duste]

Can someone please explain why you would perform a "controlled" burn-off in 30-35+ degC heat?

I'm no fire surgeon, but that doesn't sound like the best idea...

[Macca]

the control burn was started at start of Sept.

[duste]

Ohhhh, so it's been a single continuous burn-off?

[Anaru]

Leeuwin Estate are closed.


I bought some of the hella balling 08 chardonnay from there at 4:30pm Wednesday and sat out on the restaurant deck until close drinking it.

Thought I might as well go out in style



/insensitive

[AGIT8D]

Fire bug or random blaze due to heat? (sorry, haven't looked into)

If fire bug - capital punishment seems a fantastic deterrent to future spastics thinking of committing such crimes - beyond belief!

Hope everyone is ok and what's lost can be regained.

Nah mate, CALM's controlled burn offs.... Stupid time to do it, 30+ degrees and unpredictable winds. Same thing is happening in Denmark as well..

[morgazmatron]

My uncle and aunt have a place down there and were on their way down when it started and they weren't allowed in.

From the aireal pics they have seen they think the whole section where thier house is is gone, rekon 50+ homes. Not 100% but thats what they think.

But they are chillin at a friends winery drinking wine waiting it out til they can get in to see whats left. Pretty devo

[TJ]

Its not the heat - its the winds.

The stuff sitting there for month upon month is already dry and going to burn in any temp.

[cplagz]

Their issue with this fire is they can't get infront of it up at the burnside area due to access. All the fireys are at the Gnarabup front now trying to contain that while the bombers/choppers monitor the Burnside end.

[AGIT8D]

Yeah why they don't do little sectional burns around the houses at least I've got no idea..

The mrs had a call from one of her clients who was in the process of moving all of his furniture from a property she manages to his house down South.. He called up yesterday and said cancel that order, my house is burnt down. Pretty gut wrenching stuff.

As for the 50+ houses, they said this morning there has been about 30 BUILDINGS damaged/destroyed, of that only 20 or so are houses, 9 chalets, and a shed or two.

[morgazmatron]

As for the 50+ houses, they said this morning there has been about 30 BUILDINGS damaged/destroyed, of that only 20 or so are houses, 9 chalets, and a shed or two.

Yeah thats what i thought too. But when they showed video from the plane/helicopter and in the small area they showed looked to be about 15 buildings. But yeah they rekon theres more but i guess they wont know til they can get in there.

[Sciflyer]

Satellite images of it

http://realtime2.bsch.au.com/vis_sat2.html?region=perth&loop=yes&images=&allday=&start=201111230333&stop=201111231033#nav

[SUSS LUX]

The amazing thing about these fires is that you get one house burnt to the ground and everything
around it is gone then the place next door has everything right up to the front door gone but the house
is fine?????

[ovaxitd]

people love to live in the "bush" by having trees etc close to their house then are surprised to find their houses are burnt down... just go for a drive around these area and also up through any perth hills and you will see plenty of homes - at least 90% - that have trees overhanging/surrounding their house.... then they all wonder why they burn down...
No one learns

[mr_mike]

Ppl need to accept the risk and the fact that bush fires are a major part of bush life

[Lump]

i think a lot of hills dwellers do & its a risk they are prepared to take.
thats the way i looked at it when i had a house on the araluen golf course - do what you can to keep it as safe as you can, have insurance & dont whinge if it all goes wrong.

[Tre-Cool]

people love to live in the "bush" by having trees etc close to their house then are surprised to find their houses are burnt down... just go for a drive around these area and also up through any perth hills and you will see plenty of homes - at least 90% - that have trees overhanging/surrounding their house.... then they all wonder why they burn down...
No one learns

but sometimes the local council is retarted and fines you for removing native tree's.

we had this problem at our last place.

[n1ghth4wk]

but sometimes the local council is retarted and fines you for removing native tree's.

Yeah when we were building in our area the council decided it would be a good idea to plant a huge fuckoff tree next to the curb of everyone's block in the area. Roots ripping up curbs and shit now. Luckily our streets trees never grew due to the poison applied to them ;)

In terms of insurance, surely all these people are gonna get full payouts aren't they? Fuck insurance company's trying to screw you when the DEC technically lit your house on fire.

[mr_mike]

but sometimes the local council is retarted and fines you for removing native tree's.

we had this problem at our last place.

Stopped you chopping down any tree you wanted or stopped you from chopping down trees to make a fire break?

[Fozzy]

people love to live in the "bush" by having trees etc close to their house then are surprised to find their houses are burnt down... just go for a drive around these area and also up through any perth hills and you will see plenty of homes - at least 90% - that have trees overhanging/surrounding their house.... then they all wonder why they burn down...
No one learns

What a stupid fucking comment. Thats like saying people want to live in the suburbs and have their house burgled. They are asking for it.

I live on a bush block by choice. I have my own fire fighting equipment. Trim the trees around my house and have firebreaks that I controll. Bushfires are a risk in the area and I have an insurance policy that covers me in the event of fire. The lifestyle of living out there with the wildlife and things like that far outweighs the risk of fire. However in the event that it happens I like to think I am prepared.

What does shit me. Is when there is a fire and people whinge and cry because they dont have insurance.. Now that is just stupid. Regardless of that no one deserves to have their shit burnt to the ground and their lives memories lost.

[V70R]

What does shit me. Is when there is a fire and people whinge and cry because they dont have insurance.. Now that is just stupid. Regardless of that no one deserves to have their shit burnt to the ground and their lives memories lost.
Agreed!

Another issue is, I'm sure several of those homes that were destroyed in Prevelly were un-occupied holiday homes. They probably had shit loads of fire equipment waiting to be used, only there was no one there to use it.

[Sciflyer]

What a stupid fucking comment. Thats like saying people want to live in the suburbs and have their house burgled. They are asking for it.

I live on a bush block by choice. I have my own fire fighting equipment. Trim the trees around my house and have firebreaks that I controll. Bushfires are a risk in the area and I have an insurance policy that covers me in the event of fire. The lifestyle of living out there with the wildlife and things like that far outweighs the risk of fire. However in the event that it happens I like to think I am prepared.

What does shit me. Is when there is a fire and people whinge and cry because they dont have insurance.. Now that is just stupid. Regardless of that no one deserves to have their shit burnt to the ground and their lives memories lost.

Yeah this

If you have a bush block you cant just chop shit down as you feel like it, council regs. So knowing how to get info on fires and what to do/having a plan is essential, cant do more than be prepared...