Deliberately lit?

Leroy,

Unbelievable photos of 'Elvis'!!! You should win some sort of prize for those!

Carl

Good pics Leroy. Another of the same intelligence yesterday between Camperdown and Colac at Pomberneit lit in three places. Burnt from the edge of the Stoney Rises in to Lake Corangamite. Some locals can identify a vehicle that dropped someone off there in the morning, so hope the roasting will occurr soon.

Fourteen hundred hectares there but in areas you couln't get a truck into with all the stoney barriers. Lot of fireys with knapsack sprayers apparently, very difficult with the ferns so dry from the drought.

Hey Leroy,

I know where you live.... :o))

Cooler day today. Hope they can get it contained.

Dave

Oh no I can't hide anymore!

cooler today but the wind is really picking up. Looks like a westerly.

Leroy

I can remember when the building over the road was pink, and was called Willey's Corner Store....

I was only up last a couple of weeks ago.

Went up to the fire tower on Big Hill for a look around. Bugger of a place to get to at the moment with all the salvage logging. But even harder this week I'd be guessing.

Dave

Agree with Carl
Both those pics of the Erickson are awesome.
And all our thoughts are with you people in the area.
Regards
Signman
(A NSWRFS member)

yeh it's a pretty awsome machine to watch in action as well. I see only a standard helicopter running around water bombing at the moment. They still seem to do a pretty good job also.

Leroy

Just spoke to my sister. 300metres or so from the back fence.

They've packed the T'van away....

Dave

I know who your sister is now. Elvis has just reappeard.

Leroy

Nice photos Leroy.

Are you safe now or are you still under threat where you live?

Dave, must be a different sister lol but another happy tvan owner!

John, the threat is still there and I think it's in the hands of the wind at the moment. Fires are still burning around the back of Tawonga Sth and there hasn't been burning embers carried by the wind but it does gust up from time to time. It's hard to find accurate info at the moment.

Leroy

Thanks Leroy
Good luck my thoughts remain with you and everyone else in the risk areas of Victoria.

Be with you sooner rather than later Leroy,

Heading for Mt Beauty in the next hour. Just organising a generator and the night off work.

How's the black confetti falling?

Dave

no confetti really, it's surprising. The wind is blowing but the smoke goes up. Things have flared up a little over the back from me so I'm heading back home.

Leroy

Was trying to work out where these pics were taken from in Towonga when I saw the bottom pic of the tanker filling up. I clicked where it was when I saw the hydrant, because our tanker used this hydrant to do some fills later in the day. I was on the same strike team as the tanker in the pic (not on the same tanker, I was on the Yackandandah tanker and you, your wife and daughter were out front talking to the Yackandandah crew leader about 5/6pm).

You got some great shots of Elvis. I had the opporunity to see it up close in action, dumping 2 loads of water about 30 meters in front of our tanker, its an awesome peice of fire fighting equipment.

Darren,

I took that pic about 6am that morning. The guys looked knakered. I didn't know what we should be doing as we felt a little helpless I supose you may say thought maybe we should have coffee ready or something when you guys filled up. But I as everyone else where we live are very grateful for you guys comming to Mt Beauty/Tawonga to help. Thanks. Doesn't seem enough really. Knock on the door next time you're in town.

Leroy

Hi Darren,

I ended up up there in the Ambulance as well as helping out with the family place back towards Tawonga from Leroy. I saw the Yack tanker on a number of occasions and later on Tuesday it ended up looking after a family friends place right up the top of Margaret Dve.

Thanks for that. Much appreciated.

Wasn't it the Yack Brigade featured prominently in the Paul Hogan movie "Strange Bedfellows" - I reckon it was.

I've uploaded some of my photos to a gallery here Mount Beauty Fire Photos 2006

Hopefully the smoke will clear soon.

The fire hasn't crowned - most of it around town is backburning so don't believe the news footage. The place will look much the same as it did a week ago in a month or so's time.

I'd be getting onto local businesses now booking your holiday. You might even get a shoulder rate to take someone elses cancellation.

Nothing better than sitting in the Kiewa with a cold can in January or February - except maybe sitting in the Kiewa with a cold can and a fishing rod.

Dave

Ever tried to do it on a 40 degree day Bruce, or done the maths to work out the focal length of a stubby?

Urban myth.

Dave

you beat me to it geo!

On the nature side though, it does grow back remarkably quickly, and though idiotic w..kers lighting fires isnt natural or recommended, fire does serve a purpose in nature itself.

Dave, we spend about 2 hours trying to light a fire (in the fire pit on my property) with both a stubby and a wine bottle... Gave up and flicked a match at it instead. I doubt very much a glass bottle would start a fire anywhere... Too many variables to overcome.

Agree Bruce "one should not jump to conclusions" as it's just as likely someone had a trailer brake lock on & overheat or a trailer chain fall off & drag causing sparks, a flat tyre with the rim running on the road or of course the big offender a ciggarette butt out the window. IMHO far more likely to be accidental or carelessness than done on purpose............still I like the idea of a public stoning as much as the next bloke so lets hunt the offender down & kill him ;-))
Cheers Craig.............

without saying its impossible at all, but how is a trailer brake locked on going to start a bush fire (on a sealed or gravel road at least?) Sure its possible but the person driving would likely have noticed his trailer on fire and should have reported it? Also with a chain, remember they arent actually sparks but smolders. Get a disc grinder and aim the "sparks" into a little bit of petrol or dry cloth. See how long aiming into the SAME SPOT it needs to light a bit of cloth? and the petrol probably wont light from more than about a foot away?
We know a cigarette will start a fire, because it will smolder in the same place for a period.

So I reckon 95% deliberate or smokers butt(next best thing).

Not near enough for legal conviction and death penalty but more than sufficient for vigilante type punishment!

I only put forward the alternate possibilities as I saw a trailer dragging chains light a fire on the Hume Freeway at Wallen & have seen plenty of trailers with tyres, brakes & bearings on fire. A driver would hear the noise then pull over to the side. If it got away how many would stick around & admit they started it?
Has anyone got any KKK hoods.......it's time we formed a possie :-))

PS you're right about the grinder on the petrol. It would be difficult to reach the required flashpoint to ignight fuel but try a few hot metal filings on some dry grass & leaves for a quicker result.

"If it got away how many would stick around & admit they started it?"

maybe so, similar thinking to a fatal hit and run though? (can easily reported anonymously too)

I doubt that a few hot filings would start a fire either. Remember also that they dont land on the same spot?

Dont matter anyway, people who light fires deliberately, throw butts out the window, or dont report a fire they have started a fire by mistake are F..KING LOWLIFE

fish,

"Dont matter anyway, people who light fires deliberately, throw butts out the window, or dont report a fire they have started a fire by mistake are F..KING LOWLIFE "

Wanna help me impale them...??? I'd post a pic but I'm sure it would break forum rules...

Jeez I hate that!