Even under the most extreme combination of heat, dryness and wind, the most flammable of materials will not ignite spontaneously, as can be seen from looking at the cause of previous catastrophic fires.

Fallen power lines, hot sparks from machinery or vehicles, lightning strikes, or one match in the hands of a firebug, have always been the initiator.

It is amply clear that even with the best of resources such fires simply cannot be controlled.

But a greater focus on preventing them starting is the one thing that we can do as a community, raising awareness and taking immediate action against those whose carelessness or malice threatens us all.

Graeme Richardson (The Border Mail, December 26) challenges a number of things and his main point seems to be that councillors shouldn't get a pay rise.

The motion that was voted on was to raise the status of Albury City to a higher level, which could have the effect of getting more government grants for our city.

A side effect could be that the remuneration of councillors might be increased.

IN OTHER NEWS:

But what I want to comment on is the claim made by Mr Richardson at the end of his letter where he says "a consent was given for a development application which certainly appears to have breached Part 4 of the Albury Local Environment Plan 2010".

First can I ask you to read what he has claimed -"it certainly appears".

Was it certain or does just appear as if?

SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

This is not the first time that Mr Richardson has claimed that councillors or council staff have acted in contravention of some planning statute, but he never goes any further to the Land and Environment Court for example.

If you claim I/they have acted illegally, then lodge a complaint using proper channels, not with unsubstantiated claims in The Border Mail letters.

MORE LETTERS:

DA Corbett's opinion (The Border Mail, December 26) that the ice in the Himalayas and the Arctic is not melting is contradicted by multiple satellite images over many decades.

Glaciers can be seen clearly receding and Arctic ice obviously shrinking.

There is much misinformation about man-made climate change and it is important to take note of the source.

For reliable climate information, look to organisations such as universities, NASA, CSIRO, Bureau of Meteorology etc, as they have qualified staff working over many decades.

Scientists are trained to be sceptical and to question information until it can be repeatedly shown to be accurate.

Scientific papers cannot be published until reviewed by other experts in that field.

The increased heating effect of CO2 was first demonstrated in 1856 (163 years ago) by American scientist Eunice Foote.

Even if you don't follow the science, look at the fun Mythbusters TV program clearly showing that increasing levels of CO2 melt ice more quickly (Google "Mythbusters global warming" for a three-minute YouTube).