Bush fires on the horizon

Last weekend, after a particularly hot few days, we saw a cloud of smoke on the horizon. After sunset, the cloud took on an ominous red hue, and the sky reflected the red glow of distant flames. We later learned that a bush fire had broken out at the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, just north of Sydney's outer suburbs. The fire threatened some homes and led to a freeway closure, but cooler weather and thundershowers kept matters from getting too serious. (Here is a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.) Let's hope we don't have to get much closer to one of these bush fires!