NPR

With Their Land In Flames, Aboriginals Warn Fires Show Deep Problems In Australia

As massive fires continue to consume Australia, aboriginal elders like Noel Butler say officials need to listen to natives about fire control.
Firefighters conduct property protection patrols at the Dunn Road Fire on Friday in Mount Adrah, Australia. New South Wales is battling severe fire conditions, with high temperatures and strong winds forecast across the state.

Before Britain started sending convicts to the continent in the 1700s, aboriginal Australians used fire to manage brushlands and forests across the continent.

Noel Butler — who's known even to the fire crews at the end of his road as "Uncle Noel" — and his wife, Trish, used to run the Aboriginal culture and education camp deep in a forest in the state of New South

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