Middle NZ: Firefighters risk their lives for us

Firefighters battle the bush fires in Australia. Photo / File

At last rain has fallen on the devastating fires ripping through parts of Australia.

However, it's far from over as the country braces for more hot conditions and the threat that two fires burning in Victoria and New South Wales could meet to create a "mega blaze".

Meanwhile, on a much much smaller scale, fire broke out throughout our own region on Monday as firefighters rushed to the scene of two blazes, one in Tangoio and the other in Fernhill. There were also several other fires they had to content with on the same day and on Tuesday morning.

What would we do without our firefighters. Many of them, both here and across the Tasman, are volunteers. These brave men and women put their lives at risk every time they get a callout.

The images of Australian firefighters asleep on the side of the road and inside fire trucks say it all really.

I can't begin to imagine the conditions they are working in. The photos of flames leaping into the air and rushing through bush are terrifying. How they stand their ground I don't know. Not only that — imagine how hot they must be inside their protective gear. I know they have had training but how can anyone train for those conditions and hours. The death toll is more than 20 and includes three firefighters.

As for the video I saw on social media of kangaroos running from fire and koalas with burnt paws, well there are just no words to describe what a huge tragedy this is for all the wildlife in Australia.

One report I read said an estimated half a billion animals have been killed by the fires. The figure came from Prof Chris Dickman, an expert on Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney who says the number is based on "a report he co-wrote in 2007 for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on the impact of land-clearing on Australian wildlife in New South Wales".

"It estimated that there were an average of 17.5 mammals, 20.7 birds and 129.5 reptiles per hectare (10,000 square metres, so a square 100m on each side - about the size of a rugby pitch). They've then multiplied that by the amount of land hit by the fires.

"We've estimated that in the three million hectares of New South Wales alone that were burned up until about 10 days ago probably as many as 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles would have been affected by the fires."

He said although some of the larger animals such as kangaroos and emus and some birds would be able to move away from the fire but that "many that survived would die later because of a lack of food and shelter". It really is a catastrophe. It will take Australia years to recover from this.

And speaking of recovery, what about the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison? His response to the fires has been absolutely dismal.

Linda Hall

Finally he has pledged $2 billion to a recovery fund but he should have been pledging billions of dollars as soon as he realised the magnitude of the disaster.

Instead he chose to go on a holiday to Hawaii while his country burned. It's no wonder the people who have watched their homes and livelihood go up in smoke are so furious with him.

I don't agree with everything our own Prime Minister does but I'm sure Jacinda Ardern would have cancelled any planned holidays and responded a lot quicker than her counterpart in Australia.

Many Kiwis, including me, have family and friends living in Australia. It's heartwarming to see all the support flooding in for the people and animals caught up in the fires.

Our thoughts are with you Australia.

Back home — please be fire-conscious. Our region is dry — all it takes is a little spark from a mower or a cigarette butt to ignite what could potentially turn into a disaster.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.