<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/19/you-cant-think-straight-lessons-from-six-households-who-evacuated-before-the-harcourt-bushfire>
"There is a precise moment when a person realises how quickly bushfire
conditions can change. They’re unlikely to forget it. For Louise Cook-Tonkin,
the moment was also ridiculous. The power had gone out, cut by a fire which
started 15km north at Ravenswood, so she was trying to toast gluten-free bread
on an outside table in 42C heat. Half an hour earlier she had driven through
Ravenswood to their home in North Castlemaine and confidently told her husband,
Bernie: “I reckon we’re good, it’s looking really clear.”
Now, as she turned the bread, she looked up and saw the first plume of a spot
fire a kilometre away. Turning around, she saw another in the opposite
direction.
A five-minute drive away, Katherine Seppings was outside her house in Harcourt,
wondering what action to take. She had intended to stay, but now she saw her
neighbour’s Australian flag, which she had always disliked, furiously flapping
first one way and then the other, indicating a sudden change in wind direction.
A very bad sign.
As the wind swung, so did the fire – right through Harcourt.
Both households had packed in advance and both houses survived, but others
weren’t so lucky."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
