Annual fight

Every summer, Sydney has a fight on her hands brought on by the heat and low humidity.

A fight with bushfires.

This year's have just began. Just when the racial riots have cooled down and everyone is heaving a collective sigh of relief.

You know this is no joking matter when the fire warning of the weather forecast is longer than the weather forecast itself:
(Pic taken from Sydney Morning Herald at 10:18a.m. local time, 7:18p.m. Singapore time)

I remember seeing scars of the bushfires of the summer of 2002/2003 in the Blue Mountains when I had visited it six months on. That summer's bushfires had been particularly bad, I was informed.

The guide told us that besides the high temperatures and low humidity, the ubiquitous Eucalyptus trees are also a big reason why there is such a struggle with these annual fires. You see, these trees produce an oil-like substance which makes them easy to ignite but notoriously difficult to douse. (It is also for this reason that the koalas seem to be in a stupor all the time; Their digestive system converts the oil into alcohol)

However, the primary reason for these fires is still human activity. Some indirectly, e.g. barbecues gone wrong, cigarette butts. Some directly, i.e. arson.

Jim believes most bushfires are due to arson.

97 days to go.