Hello everyone. I'm James aka "contrabourdon" on Steem. Fellow Aussie 
Things appear to be less severe at the moment due to milder conditions but you can see the devastation that has reaped our surrounding areas. The black areas are already burnt and the icons indicate the active fires still going. Whilst there were a few close fires to us, none have directly impacted our twin city. However, this is not to say that we have not experienced any hardship. The smoke is phenomenally bad—the kids have been saying that outside has "lost its colours". It has been quite some time since we have seen clear blue skies. It's a health hazard to be outside and all the stores have sold out of P2 masks (these are the type that filter out smoke). There are people out there wearing surgical masks, but sadly, these will not help at all. Our township has become an area of respite from the bushfires in our surrounding areas and this has caused chaos on our roads and panic buying in stores. It's amazing to realise that society can really crumble when essential and basic human needs are scarce.
Being in between fires has made us realise that anything, literally anything, can burn (unless you live in an area that is made entirely of concrete...). Our house is surrounded by beautiful hills lined with trees and it's very common to see kangaroos grazing and jumping around our neighbourhood at dusk. Living in a semi-rural suburb means that it's quiet but still close to amenities. Lucky for us, the fire station is just around the corner too! Our local roads have been busy of late due to the influx of donations from our community. If there is one positive thing about these bushfires, it's the coming together as a community to help one another. And this 
Yours truly,
