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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2022 17:30:31 GMT
I find the images of all of the houses burning in greater London to be rather astounding. On the continent, it is just as hot but the cities are not catching on fire. It's already bad enough with the forests and adjoining campgrounds.
What is causing this? "Climate change" cannot be the simple answer. Are people just stupid with barbecues? That seems too simple.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2022 17:33:00 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 19, 2022 17:37:31 GMT
Apparently it spread from a grass fire.
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Post by bjd on Jul 19, 2022 19:04:03 GMT
I just heard an interview on the news with a scientist in Britain. She said that even if some countries cut their emissions of CO2 to zero, they would continue to be affected by climate change because the carbon particles spread evenly around the globe. Both she and a scientist from the British Meteorological Office said heat waves would continue.
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Post by patricklondon on Jul 19, 2022 19:10:02 GMT
Wouldn't take much to start a grass fire on a patch of open land - a careless smoker, maybe an abandoned bottle in the sunlight - and for it to spread quickly, because everything's so dry. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam" |
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2022 19:15:45 GMT
Grass fires can happen anywhere in dry weather, but what surprises me is that there do not seem to be any rules for clearing brush and grass from the proximity of homes where the fires happened. In France it is obligatory to clear the ground for a width of 50 metres when you have a home located less then 200 metres from woods or brush. And there are fines if you don't do it.
Does the UK not have similar laws?
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Post by patricklondon on Jul 20, 2022 10:59:54 GMT
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 20, 2022 11:53:41 GMT
We leave grassland uncut to encourage wildlife (allegedly)...it's generally mown in late summer. We have a small nature reserve and an old golf course here and the council just mows paths through the long grasses and wild flowers. It's nice but in a hot year it's worrying. We don't take the dog over there at this time of year because fires are a real possibility. There are 2 housing estates next to them too.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 20, 2022 16:30:44 GMT
Not that I'm aware of. Might be something to consider for building regulations. Actually, my question was certainly a bit naive or at least not totally thought through. Obviously, the UK does not have the same climate as France, which has lots of dry hot places just waiting to burn at any excuse in the summer. The UK, on the other hand, is supposed to be lush and wet, like Miss Marple's garden. But with climate change, I'm sure that it is time to start considering new protective measures. However, now I am wondering what is considered to be the hottest and driest part of the UK. Would that just be the south? At the same time, I have (so far imaginary) images of peat fires in the north. I don't remember what channel I saw it on, but today I saw someone showing how dry the peat is right now when it is supposed to be totally wet the moment you cut into it. And whn peat starts burning, it never wants to stop.
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Post by onlyMark on Jul 20, 2022 17:29:58 GMT
We don't take the dog over there at this time of year because fires are a real possibility. Why would your dog be setting fires? That's the first thought that came to me, but I was more wondering surely you'd see a fire from a fair old distance and just go away from it. |
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Post by mickthecactus on Jul 20, 2022 17:59:23 GMT
It’s a Burnese Mountain dog.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 20, 2022 21:02:20 GMT
We took the dog for a walk on our local park today. Wide swathes of long grass with mown paths in some areas on the edge of the park. Just off a track through a wooded area is a meadow of long dry grass. A used disposable barbeque. All around it was burnt ground. Luckily somebody had stamped out the fire. The park is huge with lots of trees and shrubs, and there are housing estates clustered all around it. It's only a matter of time before it happens here. We need to ban disposable barbeques and those lit flying lantern thingies...
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jul 20, 2022 21:05:51 GMT
The dog can't be trusted with matches... I'd still rather not go to the golf course at this time of year  |
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Post by mich64 on Jul 21, 2022 0:17:05 GMT
Wouldn't take much to start a grass fire on a patch of open land - a careless smoker, maybe an abandoned bottle in the sunlight - and for it to spread quickly, because everything's so dry. You are correct Patrick, it does not take much to start a grass fire such as the examples you provided. Another is the sparks from the trains, my husband always worried about this while on shift. I feel where we live the majority of people are paying attention to our forest fire warning system. We have a low to high risk meter that everyone keeps watch of the websites, newspapers and there used to be a billboard with a gauge posted outside the local Ministry of Natural Resources office, but the office has moved location. I think people really miss that billboard! We also have to have a fire permit (and an inspection of your property) to light campfires. When the fire risk is elevated, all permits are suspended until the level is lowered. |
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Post by questa2 on Jul 21, 2022 0:37:55 GMT
Fortunately your firies did or are still doing a good job considering they had 1950's equipment and strategies. Also the people did not know how to get the dickens out of the places, but stood and gawked endangering others. I recall telling you how the air itself is so super-heated that it seems to explode into flame spontaneously...but these fires did not look so vicious.
Still, it is a wake-up call...don't ignore it like we did and paid a terrible price.
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Post by casimira on Aug 14, 2022 13:47:48 GMT
I saw a satellite view of the UK and in the shot the vast area of brown vs. the verdant green of the nearby countries is mind boggling.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 14, 2022 20:12:26 GMT
My garden is quite sheltered so my little patch of lawn is still green, but outside the verges, parks and fields are bone dry and dusty. Hopefully it will recover.
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Post by questa on Aug 15, 2022 1:59:28 GMT
Most of Oz native trees/shrubs have evolved their own protection and re-growth capabilities but I guess a black stick poking out of the ground does not bode well in your neck of the woods.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2023 19:58:00 GMT
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