Bushfire!

 For the past few days a massive bushfire has been rampaging through the hills near Perth. Starting near Wooroloo - a small wheatbelt town - it has already brought some of the outer suburbs of the city under threat. Over 70 homes have been lost and there's a strong likelihood there will be more. I live well into suburbia but the suburb adjoining us received a warning that ash and smoke were expected throughout the day and we could see and smell both as the houses there, which are only about a 15-20 minute walk away from us, disappeared into the haze. We were warned to turn off evaporative air conditioners - the most common form of air conditioning in Perth - and keep houses closed up which with a maximum temperature of 34°C meant we were in for an uncomfortable day even without the threat of a fire. As well we were warned to be watchful for signs of fire and be aware that ember attack can precede the actual fire for up to 100 metres. (As we learned during last year's disastrous fires in eastern Australia, the 100 metres measure can be exceeded if there are strong winds so this is not comforting.)

My niece and her family, who now live on a rural bush block north of the city, have been told to be prepared to evacuate if the fire continues to move in their direction and where they used to live - quite suburban and densely populated - has already been evacuated. With wind gusts of 70 kmh forecast for this evening the prospects of containing the fire don't look good. Here on the coast we've already been experiencing strong gusty south westerlies for most of the afternoon which has at least mitigated the spread in our direction but does not bode well for those in the north and north east. All this on top of the total lockdown of the south west of the state due to COVID 19 means stress on stress. 

There is good happening, too, though. Most people have responded well to the lockdown. Very few have objected to the restrictions and the face masks which we were warned we should get weeks ago have been pulled out and and are being worn. There are, of course, a small number who are so invested in their conspiracy theories that they can't give them up but by and large most of us are complying without complaint. We know it's in the interest of the community as a whole. 

There are other signs of a healthy community, too. A number of motels - empty because of the lockdown - are providing free accommodation to evacuees from the fires, go fund me pages are being set up to assist those who have lost their homes and all their possessions and local community groups and individuals are collecting goods for distribution to those in need - and that's only a small part of what is being done. Makes me proud of my city and my fellow Western Australians.