Athen's on Fire.... so sad and expected !!
- Thread starter Maria_Aya
- Start date
Mosaic
Super Moderator
I also saw this on the news it looks horrific! something like Melbournes February black Saturday when the winds were so strong and high the fires were twisted in all directions. Fire is so, so scary. The firepeople are doing their very best i am sure, but when nature has her way and whips fires storms around even the most sophiscated fire equipment cannot match her.
Sadly when horrors like this happen people feel they must have a scapegoat someone or many someone's to blame. sometimes it is the actions of locals that start the problem and then the fire dept's have to try to control what nature decides to contol. I hope that the fires in Greece will be bought under control without loss of life. maybe they are back burning? then there won't be anywhere for the fires to go and they will die down as long as the high flying embers can be stopped, and that is out of the control of man sadly.
Australia has been warned to expect worse this coming fire season, let us hope that this time people will have learned the lesson and get out. Man and fire just do not get along very well at all!
We humans forget for millions of years fires were and still are a natural way to propagate new growth and forests, some native plants here in australia cannot grow at all unless they are heavily scorched by fire, it is humanity that has pushed into areas of high natural bush and fire prone areas, because it is pretty or because land is becoming scarce for development, local governments say you can't chop down native tress or clear too much bush, and people continue to build homes in these areas and the time comes when nature decides that fire is necessary and we wonder why it happens and we wonder why loss of life happens because we as humans think we can beat these things and stay to fight.... Yes we can control a certain amount, but not all the time, and when we lose comntrol some poor person/s becomes the scapegoat and is hung out to dry. ... sorry for the rant, it is a pet peeve of mine that there is always anger at others and not at the self in such situations.
Fires have been particular bad in several countries for about 3 to 4 years now, I like how USA ( California) handles their terrible fires. Folks are ordered to evacuate and are told if you are stupid enough to stay be it on your head so to speak. It is horrible that you lose everything but I believe life and limb is far, far more important, people in these areas should just make sure they have very good insurance and a suitcase with the most important documents and photos or copies of photos in the suitcase and you grab that and just go!
Eeeek! Sorry again
~Mosaic
Sadly when horrors like this happen people feel they must have a scapegoat someone or many someone's to blame. sometimes it is the actions of locals that start the problem and then the fire dept's have to try to control what nature decides to contol. I hope that the fires in Greece will be bought under control without loss of life. maybe they are back burning? then there won't be anywhere for the fires to go and they will die down as long as the high flying embers can be stopped, and that is out of the control of man sadly.
Australia has been warned to expect worse this coming fire season, let us hope that this time people will have learned the lesson and get out. Man and fire just do not get along very well at all!
We humans forget for millions of years fires were and still are a natural way to propagate new growth and forests, some native plants here in australia cannot grow at all unless they are heavily scorched by fire, it is humanity that has pushed into areas of high natural bush and fire prone areas, because it is pretty or because land is becoming scarce for development, local governments say you can't chop down native tress or clear too much bush, and people continue to build homes in these areas and the time comes when nature decides that fire is necessary and we wonder why it happens and we wonder why loss of life happens because we as humans think we can beat these things and stay to fight.... Yes we can control a certain amount, but not all the time, and when we lose comntrol some poor person/s becomes the scapegoat and is hung out to dry. ... sorry for the rant, it is a pet peeve of mine that there is always anger at others and not at the self in such situations.
Fires have been particular bad in several countries for about 3 to 4 years now, I like how USA ( California) handles their terrible fires. Folks are ordered to evacuate and are told if you are stupid enough to stay be it on your head so to speak. It is horrible that you lose everything but I believe life and limb is far, far more important, people in these areas should just make sure they have very good insurance and a suitcase with the most important documents and photos or copies of photos in the suitcase and you grab that and just go!
Eeeek! Sorry again
~Mosaic
Ariadne
Well-known member
Take care of yourself Maria_Aya, and be careful going outside. I know what that's like to live with. We had wild/brushfires every summer for 4 years running here. You couldn't see more then a few miles for all the haze from the smoke and the air quality was terrible. If they call for evac go and try not to breath the air outside anymore then you have to. Seriously, take care. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
@Mosaic: Yeah, the fire's will happen whether we like it or not. Poor land management can make it that much worse though. I don't mind if you vent at all. I've said a few things on the subject in my time myself.
@Mosaic: Yeah, the fire's will happen whether we like it or not. Poor land management can make it that much worse though. I don't mind if you vent at all. I've said a few things on the subject in my time myself.
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Creaky Old Dancer
New member
athen's on fire
I too heard it on the news... keep safe and our prayers go out to you and yours...Creaks
I too heard it on the news... keep safe and our prayers go out to you and yours...Creaks
Shanazel
Moderator
Bless all Greece, with a special blessing for you, dear Maria. This is the first year in many many years that Wyoming hasn't burned all summer, thanks to the end of a decade long drought, but one never forgets the feeling of seeing flames raging a hundred steps from one's home. I am thinking of you.
Mosaic
Super Moderator
Just heard on the news more than 90 fires burning around Athens, That is so scary. The whole sky is so red and smoke choked. The poor fire department must be totally run off their feet and exhausted. Seems some other countries are or have sent some water bomb planes, hope they send some replacement firefighters as well.
I believe there has been no loss of life that they know? And the government has ordered evacuations, that is the best thing, I am glad they have done that. That should have been the order here, but the policy was stay and fight or go but go early not the last minute, too many chose to stay and fight and lost their lives because wild fires have a mind of their own and no firefirefighter can stop them.
As others have said, stay indoors as much as possible as the smoke can cause problems. But if you are close to the fires grab your important documents etc & please leave for a safer place. It must be very scary in Athens right now.
~Mosaic
I believe there has been no loss of life that they know? And the government has ordered evacuations, that is the best thing, I am glad they have done that. That should have been the order here, but the policy was stay and fight or go but go early not the last minute, too many chose to stay and fight and lost their lives because wild fires have a mind of their own and no firefirefighter can stop them.
As others have said, stay indoors as much as possible as the smoke can cause problems. But if you are close to the fires grab your important documents etc & please leave for a safer place. It must be very scary in Athens right now.
~Mosaic
Maria_Aya
New member
The thing is very complicated.
And connected with bad politics etc.
For more than 50 years, we had people that were illegal building houses INSIDE the forest !!!
Its illegal, dont forget it.
Now they are crying that their house are burned down.
I'm not speaking for poop people, these are villa's !!
Well if we had a solution to have the houses burned down and the forest not, it would be fine with 90% of the greeks.
Its a horrible situation, and we know that the forest that is burning today next year will be full of villa's.
We hate hate hate it.
The nature is suffering, Athens is a city that we cant breath, and this is going longterm. The animals that was burned is making all of us crying.
I would like from here to congratulate a group of my students that yesterday went to the burning areas and saved dogs and birds that THEIR owners had left tieded at the burning houses !!!!
And connected with bad politics etc.
For more than 50 years, we had people that were illegal building houses INSIDE the forest !!!
Its illegal, dont forget it.
Now they are crying that their house are burned down.
I'm not speaking for poop people, these are villa's !!
Well if we had a solution to have the houses burned down and the forest not, it would be fine with 90% of the greeks.
Its a horrible situation, and we know that the forest that is burning today next year will be full of villa's.
We hate hate hate it.
The nature is suffering, Athens is a city that we cant breath, and this is going longterm. The animals that was burned is making all of us crying.
I would like from here to congratulate a group of my students that yesterday went to the burning areas and saved dogs and birds that THEIR owners had left tieded at the burning houses !!!!
Mosaic
Super Moderator
The thing is very complicated.
And connected with bad politics etc.
For more than 50 years, we had people that were illegal building houses INSIDE the forest !!!
Its illegal, dont forget it.
Now they are crying that their house are burned down.
I'm not speaking for poop people, these are villa's !!
Well if we had a solution to have the houses burned down and the forest not, it would be fine with 90% of the greeks.
Its a horrible situation, and we know that the forest that is burning today next year will be full of villa's.
We hate hate hate it.
The nature is suffering, Athens is a city that we cant breath, and this is going longterm. The animals that was burned is making all of us crying.
I would like from here to congratulate a group of my students that yesterday went to the burning areas and saved dogs and birds that THEIR owners had left tieded at the burning houses !!!!
I understand completely what you are saying and why you are so angry. Yes people cause so many environmental problems (we have it here as well). I also think of all the animals whose natural habitat is destroyed by indiscriminate building and land clearing, then the fires come and more of these precious animals are lost or are so badly burnt they have to be euthanised. I cry with you maria. As for people leaving their pets behind, that is too shocking to even contemplate, when I hear things like that i want to take the owners and tie them up where they left their pets and just leave them there. How heartless and beyond cruel to do that <shudder> Big hugs and medals of honour to your students and others who rescued these animals.
I hope the fires are beginning to burn themselves out.
Stay safe
~Mosaic