Australian bush fire has stunned the world. Nature is at its full fury and we humans are to be blamed for it. The flashes have been burning across Australia for months. Nearly 18 million acres of land mostly bush-land, forests, and national parks that are home to the country's native wildlife have been turned into ashes.
The two crucial factors behind these disastrous fires are the prolonged dry spell that dried up the forest cover and converted the green reserve into ample fuel for fire to grow on and the scorching sun. The sun rays ignited the dried vegetation that quickly turned into an inferno, spreading to large parts of the country.
23 people have been killed in the bush fires so far and 6 people are reportedly missing. An estimated 480 million animals have been killed since bush fires says Professor Chris Dickman, University of Sydney. Over seven million hectares of land has been burnt, this is approximately six times the size of the 2019 Amazon fires. At least 1700 homes have been destroyed so far.
Control the ravaging fires
Suppression strategy for such fires depends on the intensity of the fire or the amount of kilowatts of energy released per meter. Small fire with an intensity of less than 800 kw/m can be contained using hand-held equipment. To control fires of under 2,000 kw/m intensity, mechanized water tanker and water bombers must be put to use.
If the fire goes up to the intensity of 3000 kw/m, then direct combat with fire is neither recommended nor feasible. In such cases, air-born attack on fire is the last retort. If the fire intensity flares up above these levels, it is unlikely that man made efforts can suppress such fires.
Going forward
The scientists have attributed this havoc to the rise in the temperature of mere 1 degree C. The future trends predict a significant effect of global warming on the temperature across the globe.
The need of the hour is to control the damage done to the planet and be prepared with firefighting solutions to contain and control the fury of nature like the one we are all facing in Australia.
