Bush fires in Australia are becoming more dangerous amid record-breaking droughts and heat caused by climate change. Irishman Ray Farrell recalls his close encounter with the 1994 fires which destroyed over 200 homes and claimed four lives. Bush fires are a growing concern in Australia, even more than when I moved here back in 1983. We now call them fire storms, and they don’t only affect the cockies (small farmers) living out in the bush. The first bit of advice I got about building a house in suburban Sydney was from a Blue Mountains resident (an area notorious for its bush fires).

Source: The Irish Times November 20, 2025 15:00 UTC