viii, 160 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map., portraits ; 23 cm
regular print
Contents
Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Harsh lessons forgotten -- ch. 2 Birth of a conflagration -- ch. 3 It will never happen here -- ch. 4 The ̀universal Australian' -- ch. 5 Off limits -- ch. 6 Sudden impact -- ch. 7 Sheer frustration -- ch. 8 Overrun -- ch. 9 ̀There is no fall-back position' -- ch. 10 Thin blue line -- ch. 11 Get me more pumpers -- ch. 12 Against all odds -- ch. 13 A ̀complete fiasco'
Summary
The firestorm that exploded into Canberra's south in the summer of 2003 should never have happened. Four died and dozens were injured, but hundreds more could have perished. The author exposes deep flaws in the national approach to bushfires; with disastrous fuel build-ups in the national parks, which are run by conservation-minded land managers who stubbornly resist preventive burning off. In this controversial account, the book seeks to offer answers to establish that the firestorm was no accident or climatic phenomenon
