I came across this article today at CNN.com. Thought I would share and try to get some discussion moving.
Here's a link to the full article:
Australian PM: Wildfire arson is mass murder - CNN.com
Quote:
(CNN) -- Investigators in Australia believe some of the deadly wildfires ravaging dry southeastern bushland may have been set deliberately, a conclusion prompting Australia's prime minister to call such acts "mass murder."
Officials in Victoria state have launched arson investigations into some of the blazes, which have killed least 156 people, decimated massive spans of land and left thousands of people homeless.
"I think it's important that the nation braces itself for more bad news," said Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, tearing up at one point during a TV interview. "This is a little horror which few of us anticipated."
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Wildfires are an annual event in Australia, but the unprecedented carnage wrought by the fast-moving infernos, called the worst ever by police, have shaken and surprised the nation.
This year, a combination of factors has made them especially intense: a drought, dry bush and one of the most powerful heatwaves in memory. And, finally, officials think some of the fires might have been deliberately lit.
...
The blazes have so far spared major urban areas but have swept across nearly 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of bushland in Victoria state, leading some firefighters and police to describe the destruction "as something of a holocaust," said state police inspector Phil Shepherd, who reported that two towns -- Marysville and Kinglake -- have been "completely wiped out."
More than 800 homes have burned, said Victoria Premier John Brumby, who expects the "devastating event" to push the death toll higher. He said flames narrowly spared his parents, with fire stopping outside their house in the western part of the state.
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Victoria Police Chief Christine Nixon said investigators think "14 people were killed as a result of one particular fire that we believe was laid by arsonists."
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Police expect that some of the fires will burn for a number of days, while others may take weeks to completely extinguish.
Temperatures in parts of Melbourne reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) in the past few weeks. Dozens of heat-related deaths have been reported. Officials were hoping for some help from milder weather moving in.
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First, I want to say that my heart goes out to the people who have been affected by these fires.
My basic understanding of this portion of Australia is that it has a fire season every year, somewhat like southern California. I assumed that fires were a natural part of the ecosystem but this year they've gotten out of hand. Are most caused by arson, as this article seems to point? And do you suppose that mass murder or holocaust was the intention, if indeed it was arson?
What is the population dynamic of this portion of Victoria? Are they mainly poor, rich, white, asian, or indigenous? Is there a group akin to the KKK at work here, or do you think it's the sorry result of an out-of-control drought-ridden countryside?
Help me make sense of this disaster. Is it natural, man-made, or both?