It is of huge concern that fire authorities believe Canberra has become complacent about the threat of bushfires.
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The devastating fire that tore through the territory in 2003, destroying about 500 houses and ripping apart the lives of many, should be much more than a distant memory.
It was not only a devastating experience for our community but one that seemed it would change us for ever.
But while it is true that the event lingers in the minds of some, for others it has become a tragic event buried in the past.
Climate change experts warn that ACT will not be immune to the effect of hotter temperatures and more frequent and fierce fires.
The ACT Rural Fire Service said it would take another similar event to what the territory experienced in 2003 to snap people out of their complacency.
Tools available to help people prepare bushfire survival plans are barely used and the service's chief officer Joe Murphy has warned "the people of Canberra need to take responsibility for their safety".
The region has already experienced a number of fires recently but, although frightening to those directly involved, they have not been large enough to scare people into action.
Canberrans are proud and protective of their "bush capital" and the way humanity and urban and residential development should integrate with the natural environment.
But the positives of living surrounded by bush are countered by the very real threat that fire poses to the territory – especially in days such as those we have experienced this week.
Nature reserves and bush corridors throughout the capital can ignite and fire can spread in a heartbeat – look at the recent fire in Latham.
The fires on Canberra's outskirts in January might not have been burning in the direction of the territory but they were moving fast towards regional communities. Although some damage occurred the fire services managed to control the blazes before widespread devastation.
As the city should remember well it only takes a change of wind for the situation to change.
Canberrans need to take in the threat of living in the bush capital and not just focus on the scenery.