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Black Saturday bushfires

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112-576: The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009, and were one of Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest-ever loss of human life from a bushfire, with 173 fatalities. Many people were left homeless and family-less as

224-561: A "fire danger season" for each local government area, potentially starting in October and finishing at the end of April. The Tasmanian Government declares fire permit periods for local government areas. In 2019 this commenced 31 October. Western Australia requires each local government area to declare its own "restricted burning times" roughly aligned with spring and autumn, and "prohibited burning times" roughly aligned with summer. The Northern Territory defines two broad "fire seasons",

336-617: A 15% decline in late autumn and early winter rainfall and a 25% decline in average rainfall in April and May. Rainfall for January to August 2019 was the lowest on record in the Southern Downs (Queensland) and Northern Tablelands (New South Wales) with some areas 77% below the long term average. In the 2000s, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that ongoing anthropogenic climate change

448-496: A bushfire, lighting of a fire on a day of total fire ban and lighting of a fire in a country area during extreme weather conditions. They were also charged with multiple counts of using telecommunications systems to menace, harass and offend as well as 135 counts each of arson. On 7 November 2011, the Victorian Supreme Court Justice, Paul Coghlan, on advice from the prosecutor, Steven Milesi, found that

560-471: A default statutory "bush fire danger period" defined in law, from 1 October to 31 March. The state government can then declare different start and end dates for bush fire danger periods for each local government area within the state. In 2019 these started 1 August. Victoria declares a "fire danger period" for each local government area. Victorian fire danger periods typically start in October and finish as late as May. The South Australia Government declares

672-437: A faster rate. Electric power lines being brought down or arcing in high winds have also caused fires. In recent times most major bush fires have been started in remote areas by dry lightning . Some reports indicate that a changing climate could also be contributing to the ferocity of the 2019–20 fires with hotter, drier conditions making the country's fire season longer and much more dangerous. During periods of drought ,

784-533: A felled power line at around 6:00 pm on 7 February, 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Beechworth, before being driven south through pine plantations by hot northerly winds. The fire destroyed an unknown number of buildings at Mudgegonga , southeast of Beechworth, with two residents confirmed dead. Dense smoke and cloud cover had hindered assessment of the Beechworth fire, but as conditions cleared late on 8 February, aerial crews were able to commence surveys of

896-460: A much greater fire fuel hazard. Another factor was the introduction of gamba grass imported into Queensland as a pasture grass in 1942, and planted on a large scale from 1983. This can fuel intense bushfires, leading to loss of tree cover and long-term environmental damage. Australia's hot, arid climate and wind-driven bushfires were a new and frightening phenomenon to the European settlers of

1008-531: A narrow fire front through Wandong and Clonbinane , into Kinglake National Park , and then onto the towns of Humevale , Kinglake West , Strathewen and St Andrews . The cool change passed through the area around 5:30 pm, bringing strong southwesterly winds. The wind change turned the initial long and narrow fire band into a wide firefront that moved in a northeast direction through Kinglake , Steels Creek , Dixons Creek , Chum Creek , Toolangi , Hazeldene , Broadford and Flowerdale . The area became

1120-450: A northern fire season, which can run from April to November, and a central Australian fire season, which can run from October to March. The Government also refers to these as "fire danger periods". Bushfire seasons are commonly grouped into years such as " 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season " and typically apply to the season for southern and eastern Australia; from 1 June to 31 May annually. Kilmore East, Victoria Kilmore East

1232-439: A pine plantation 1 km (0.62 miles) southeast of Churchill at about 1:30 pm on the afternoon of 7 February. Within 30 minutes it had spread to the southeast, threatening Hazelwood South , Jeeralang , and Budgeree East , and by late afternoon the fire was approaching Yarram and Woodside on the south Gippsland coast. The cool change came through the area about 6:00 pm, but the southwesterly winds it brought pushed

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1344-450: A plan to back-burn across the entrance to the promontory, in order to prevent any possibility of the fire burning out of the park and into farmland and towards the towns of Yanakie and Sandy Point . Crikey reported that locals were divided on the merits of the plan, some concerned as to why the back-burning had not been carried out earlier, and some worried at the large scale of the proposed burns, which were reported to be larger than both

1456-481: A result. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on Saturday 7 February; the day has become widely referred to in Australia as Black Saturday. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard described Black Saturday as "a tragedy beyond belief, beyond precedent and beyond words … one of the darkest days in Australia’s peacetime history." The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission , headed by Justice Bernard Teague ,

1568-646: A series of bushfires tore through the Adelaide Hills , 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Adelaide , leaving more than 70 buildings destroyed and 75 farms affected by the fires. Three years later on 16 February 1983, about 180 fires in an event known as the Ash Wednesday bushfires caused widespread destruction across parts of South Australia and Victoria , burning an area of 3.74 million acres (1.51 million hectares ; 15,100 square kilometres ; 5,840 square miles ) of bushland and exceeding

1680-588: A series of extreme heatwaves that were accompanied by strong northerly winds, after a very dry six months. Melbourne hit 45.6 °C (114.1 °F) and Adelaide 46.1 °C (115.0 °F). In NSW, Bourke suffered 37 consecutive days above 38 degrees and Menindee hit a record 49.7 °C (121.5 °F) on 10 January. New South Wales also lost hundreds of houses, thousands of stock and poultry, and thousands of hectares of grazing land. By 16 January, disastrous fires were burning in Victoria, New South Wales and

1792-460: A significant shift away from traditional burning practices. A 2001 study found that the disruption of traditional burning practices and the introduction of unrestrained logging meant that many areas of Australia were now prone to extensive wildfires especially in the dry season. A similar study in 2017 found that the removal of mature trees by Europeans since they began to settle in Australia may have triggered extensive shrub regeneration which presents

1904-652: A slow-moving high-pressure system that settled over the Tasman Sea , with a combination of an intense tropical low located off the North West Australian coast and a monsoon trough over northern Australia , which produced ideal conditions for hot tropical air to be directed down over southeastern Australia. The February fires commenced on a day when several localities across the state, including Melbourne , recorded their highest temperatures since records began in 1859. On 6 February 2009—the day before

2016-476: A threat to settlements as they rarely reach the same intensity seen in major firestorms as the land is flat, the fires are easier to map and predict, and the terrain is more accessible for firefighting personnel. Many regions of predominantly flat terrain in Australia have been almost completely deforested for agriculture, reducing the fuel loads which would otherwise facilitate fires in these areas. Australia's climate has warmed by more than one degree Celsius over

2128-522: A way to eliminate competition from less fire-tolerant species. Early European explorers of the Australian coastline noted extensive bushfire smoke. Abel Janszoon Tasman 's expedition saw smoke drifting over the coast of Tasmania in 1642 and noted blackened trunks and baked earth in the forests. While charting the east coast in 1770, Captain Cook 's crew saw autumn fires in the bush burning on most days of

2240-722: A widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire . However, the fires can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and animal life. Bushfires have killed approximately 800 people in Australia since 1851, and billions of animals. The most destructive fires are usually preceded by extreme high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds, which combine to create ideal conditions for

2352-446: Is a colloquialism broadly defined by common usage, from when the first uncontrolled fires start any time from June onwards, typically shortened to "bushfire season", and applies mainly to southern and eastern Australia. It can continue through to April. Central and northern Australia have two separately defined fire seasons. The colloquial term is typically used in conjunction with the technical terms when conveying information to

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2464-623: Is a locality in the Australian state of Victoria , 65 kilometres north of Melbourne . At the 2016 census , Kilmore East had a population of 417. Kilmore East was settled by John Green, a neighboring pastoralist on the Kilmore Plains. He was a squatter, and William Rutledge purchased the best area occupied by Green in 1841. Green's head station was built 400 metres SSE of what became the Kilmore East Railway Station. Kilmore East railway and telegraph station

2576-740: Is because the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide may become increasingly dependent on fire-driven climate-carbon feedbacks, as highlighted by this event. Bushfires in Australia can occur all year-round, though the severity and the "bushfire season" varies by region. There is no formal definition for a single bushfire season across the whole of Australia. There is no one terminology used for periods of fire activity. The technical terms used for periods of fire risk and fire activity include fire weather season, fire danger season, bush fire danger period, fire danger period, fire permit period, restricted burning times, and, prohibited burning times, and fire season. The term "Australian bushfire season",

2688-438: Is just nuked." Reports on 11 February estimated that around 100 of the town's population of approximately 500 were believed to have perished, and that only "a dozen" buildings were left. Premier Brumby described the situation: "There's no activity, there's no people, there's no buildings, there's no birds, there's no animals, everything's just gone. So the fatality rate will be very high." Eventually 34 fatalities were confirmed in

2800-500: Is more than twice the estimate derived by five different fire inventories and broadly consistent with estimates based on a bottom-up bootstrap analysis of this fire episode. Although fires occur regularly in the savannas in northern Australia, the recent episodes were extremely large in scale and intensity, burning unusually large areas of eucalyptus forest in the southeast. The fires were driven partly by climate change, making better-constrained emission estimates particularly important. This

2912-402: The 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season , the forests in Australia were thought to reabsorb all the carbon released in bushfires across the country. This would mean the forests achieved net-zero emissions. However, global warming is making bushfires burn more intensely and frequently and the 2019–2020 bushfires have already emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to

3024-487: The Gippsland fires and Black Sunday of 1926 in Victoria (60 people killed over a two-month period). Other major conflagrations include the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires , the 2006 December bushfires , the 1974–75 fires that burnt 15% of Australia, and the 2019–20 bushfires . It is estimated that the 2019–2020 bushfires led to the deaths of at least 33 people and over 3 billion animals. The gradual drying of

3136-581: The Great Dividing Range abruptly raise air temperatures in the lee of that mountain range and reduce atmospheric moisture, thus elevating fire danger. This occurs because of the partial orographic obstruction of comparatively damp low-level air and the sinking of drier upper-level air in leeward of the mountains, which is heated because of the adiabatic compression. Large, violent wildfires can generate winds of themselves, called fire whirls . Fire whirls are like tornadoes and result from

3248-689: The Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. Fires entered the suburbs of Canberra on 18 January 2003 and, in the following ten hours, four people died and over 490 were injured 470 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Extreme bushfire conditions—Melbourne's maximum temperature was above 43.0 °C (109.4 °F) for three consecutive days for the first time since records had been kept, accompanied by strong winds on 7 February 2009, later to be known as 'Black Saturday'—precipitated major bushfires throughout Victoria, involving several large fire complexes, which continued to burn across

3360-567: The University of Tasmania warned that so much damage has been done that Australian forests may take more than 100 years to re-absorb the carbon that has been released so far this fire season. In January 2020, the British Met Office said Australia's bushfires in 2019–2020 were expected to contribute 2% to the increase in the atmospheric concentration of major greenhouse gases which are forecast to hit 417 parts per million, one of

3472-414: The "worst bushfires" it had experienced, with thousands of hectares burned and a 72-kilometre (45 mi) fire front driven towards the city by a south westerly gale, destroying pine plantations and many homesteads, and threatening Mount Stromlo Observatory , Government House , and Black Mountain . Large numbers of men were sent to stand by government buildings in the line of fire. The state of Victoria

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3584-448: The 19th century. According to Tim Flannery ( The Future Eaters ), fire is one of the most important forces at work in the Australian environment. Some plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms to survive or even require bushfires (possessing epicormic shoots or lignotubers that sprout after a fire, or developing fire-resistant or fire-triggered seeds ), or even encourage fire ( eucalypts contain flammable oils in its leaves) as

3696-596: The 20th century. With increasing population and urban spread into bushland came increasing death tolls and property damage during large fires. During the 1925–26 Victorian bushfire season , large areas of Gippsland in Victoria caught fire, leading to the Black Sunday fires on 14 February, when 31 people were killed in Warburton , near Melbourne. These fires remain the fifth most deadly bushfires recorded, with 60 people killed over two months. The 1939 fire season

3808-527: The ACT at the climax of a terrible heatwave. Sydney was ringed to the north, south and west by fires from Palm Beach and Port Hacking to the Blue Mountains . Fires blazing at Castle Hill , Sylvania , Cronulla and French's Forest in the city. Disastrous fires were also reported at Penrose, Wollongong , Nowra , Bathurst , Ulludulla , Mittagong , Trunkey and Nelligen . Meanwhile, Canberra faced

3920-496: The Australian continent over the last 6000 years has produced an ecology and environment prone to fire, which has resulted in many specialised adaptations amongst flora and fauna . Some of the country's flora has evolved to rely on bushfires for reproduction. Aboriginal Australians used to use fire to clear grasslands for hunting and to clear tracks through dense vegetation, and European settlers have also had to adapt to using fire to enhance agriculture and forest management since

4032-537: The Black Range, parallel to the Kilmore fire, towards Narbethong . Experienced Air Attack Coordinator Shaun Lawlor reported flame heights of "at least 100 metres" as the fire traversed the Black Range. At Narbethong, it destroyed 95 per cent of the town's houses. When the southerly change struck, it swept towards the town of Marysville . Late in the afternoon of 7 February, residents had anticipated that

4144-640: The CFA to issue further warnings to residents at Won Wron and surrounding areas. Investigators revealed that they strongly believed arson was the most likely cause of the Churchill fire. A man from Churchill, Brendan Sokaluk of Chuchill, was arrested by police on 12 February and charged with one count each of arson causing death and intentionally lighting a bushfire. He was convicted of 10 counts of arson causing death and sentenced to 17 years 9 months' imprisonment in April 2012. To also be noted: Mirboo North, known as

4256-490: The Copernicus monitoring programme. This is as much as Australia's average annual carbon dioxide emissions in just the past three months. These will increase Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming, and heighten the likelihood of recurring megafires that will release yet more emissions. Until the 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season , the forests in Australia were thought to reabsorb all

4368-531: The Delburn bushfire was lit 7 February 2009. This fire stretch out toward Morwell, devastating the beautiful towns of Mirboo North, Darlimurla, Boolarra and Boolarra South. In Upper Ferntree Gully a fire damaged the rail track and caused the closure of the Belgrave railway line , as well as all major roads. The fire, which was contained by CFA crews within three hours, burned at least 2 ha (4.9 acres) along

4480-468: The Marysville area, with all but 14 of over 400 buildings destroyed. Other localities severely affected included Buxton and Taggerty . To the south of the fire complex, visitors and residents were stranded at Yarra Glen when fire surrounded the town on three sides. Houses just to the north of Yarra Glen were destroyed and large areas of grassy paddocks burnt. Investigators initially believed that

4592-649: The Queensland border. Fires were approaching towns in the Blue Mountains including Blackheath and in the Shoalhaven, including Ulladulla. Some 20,000 firefighters were deployed against around 800 fires mainly along the coast and ranges. The fires caused mass evacuations, claimed four lives, destroyed some 225 homes and burnt 800,000 hectares (2.0 million acres ; 8,000 square kilometres ; 3,100 square miles ) of bushland. They were met with amongst

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4704-539: The Sydney basin and down the south coast to Batemans Bay . The 800,000 hectares (2.0 million acres ; 8,000 square kilometres ; 3,100 square miles ) spread of fires were generally contained within less than 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the coast, and many burned through rugged and largely uninhabited country in national parks or nature reserves. Dramatic scenes of the city of Sydney shrouded in thick bushfire smoke, and bushland suburbs on fire were broadcast around

4816-697: The Victorian Alps, the towns of Bright , Cudgewa and Corryong were also hit, along with vast areas in the west, in particular Portland, the Otway Ranges and the Grampians. Black Range, Rubicon , Acheron , Noojee , Tanjil Bren , Hill End , Woods Point , Matlock , Erica , Omeo, Toombullup and the Black Forest were also affected. Huge amounts of smoke and ash were generated, with reports of ash falling as far away as New Zealand. After

4928-584: The afternoon of 7 February and 7:00 pm, a period when wind speed and temperature were at their highest, and humidity at its lowest. The Kinglake fire complex was named after two earlier fires, the Kilmore East fire and the Murrindindi Mill fire, merged following the wind change on the evening of 7 February. The complex was the largest of the many fires burning on Black Saturday, ultimately destroying over 330,000 ha (820,000 acres). It

5040-465: The afternoon of 7 February, and burned through Long Gully and Eaglehawk , coming within 2 km (1.2 mi) of central Bendigo, before it was brought under control late on 7 February. It destroyed around 61 houses in Bendigo's western suburbs, and damaged an electricity distribution line, resulting in blackouts to substantial parts of the city. One Long Gully resident, ill and confined to his house,

5152-481: The areas around Healesville was downgraded, though a DSE spokesperson said that residents should be mindful of localised changes in the weather. The Horsham fire burnt 5,700 ha (14,000 acres), including the golf club and eight homes. Two firefighters from the Dimboola brigade narrowly escaped when their ute was engulfed by fire. The fire was ignited at 12:30 pm on 7 February when strong winds initiated

5264-464: The atmosphere. However, existing emission estimates based on fire inventories are uncertain and vary by up to a factor of four for this event. Emission estimates are constrained with the help of satellite observations of carbon monoxide, an analytical Bayesian inversion and observed ratios between emitted carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It is estimated emissions of carbon dioxide to be 715 teragrams (range 517–867) from November 2019 to January 2020. This

5376-444: The average summer temperatures have increased leading to record-breaking hot weather, with the early summer of 2019 the hottest on record. 2019 was also Australia's driest ever year since 1900 with rainfall 40% lower than average. Heatwaves and droughts dry out the undergrowth and create conditions that increase the risk of bushfires. This has become worse in the last 30 years. Since the mid-1990s, southeast Australia has experienced

5488-556: The blazes: small mammals, birds, lizards, and insects. Bushfires in Australia are generally described as uncontrolled, non-structural fires burning in a grass, scrub , bush, or forested area. The nature of the fire depends somewhat on local topography . Hilly/mountainous fires burn in areas which are usually densely forested. The land is less accessible and not conducive to agriculture, thus many of these densely forested areas have been saved from deforestation and are protected by national, state and other parks. The steep terrain increases

5600-539: The bushfires, Victoria convened a Royal Commission . Judge Leonard Stretton was instructed to enquire into the causes of the fires, and consider the measures taken to prevent the fires and to protect life and property. He made seven major recommendations to improve forest and fire management, and planned burning became an official fire management practice. In the summer of 1967, Tasmania suffered its most destructive fire season , and Australia's fourth most deadly on record. A verdant spring had added higher than usual fuel to

5712-594: The carbon released in bushfires across the country. This would mean the forests achieved net-zero emissions. However, scientists now say that global warming is making bushfires burn more intensely and frequently and believe the 2019–2020 fires have already released approximately 350 million tonnes (390 million short tons) of carbon dioxide – as much as two-thirds of Australia's average annual carbon dioxide emissions (530 million tonnes (580 million short tons) in 2017) between October and December 2019. David Bowman, professor of pyrogeography and fire science at

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5824-554: The cause of the fire that originated near the Murrundindi Mill and swept through Narbethong and Marysville was arson, with several suspects investigated. Later investigations prompted a 2011 declaration that arson had not been responsible. In Beechworth , a fire burnt over 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and threatened the towns of Yackandandah , Stanley , Bruarong , Dederang , Kancoona , Kancoona South , Coralbank , Glen Creek , and Running Creek . The fire ignited from

5936-488: The centre. A town meeting was held for the affected residents on 8 February. On the same day, Victoria Police indicated that they were investigating whether arson was the cause of the fire. The CFA initially suspected that the most likely cause was a cigarette butt discarded from a car or truck along Bracewell Street in Maiden Gully. However, the arson squad and local Bendigo detectives spent 9 February investigating

6048-525: The colonial era. The devastating Victorian bushfires of 1851, remembered as the Black Thursday bushfires , burned in a chain from Portland to Gippsland , and sent smoke billowing across the Bass Strait to north west Tasmania, where terrified settlers huddled around candles in their huts under a blackened afternoon sky. The fires covered five million hectares around one quarter of what is now

6160-432: The control lines. The Beechworth Correctional Centre minimum-security prison offered up to thirty of its inmates to provide assistance to firefighters; a local DSE manager said that though untrained personnel would not be allowed at the fire front, the prisoners would be welcome in support roles. A fire to the west of the city of Bendigo burned out 500 hectares (1,200 acres). The fire broke out at about 4:30 pm on

6272-401: The course of agricultural clearing, grinding and welding activities, campfires, cigarettes and dropped matches, sparks from machinery, and controlled burn escapes. They spread based on the type and quantity of fuel that is available. Fuel can include everything from trees, underbrush and dry grassy fields to homes. Wind supplies the fire with additional oxygen pushing the fire across the land at

6384-428: The current extremes and anthropogenic climate change is scientifically indisputable". In 2020, an international team of scientists found the hot and dry conditions that helped drive Australia's 2019–2020 bushfire crisis would be eight times more likely to happen if the earth warms by 2.0 °C (3.6 °F). The bushfires have not only been made more likely and intense by climate change, but they also add to it. Until

6496-517: The damage was the almost new Upper Ferntree Gully CFA Tanker 1. On 8 February lightning sparked a fire in Wilsons Promontory which burned more than 11,000 ha (27,000 acres). This fire posed no immediate threat to campers, but due to excessive fuel and inaccessibility authorities chose to evacuate the park, with some campers being evacuated by boat. At a community meeting on 11 February, DSE and Parks Victoria authorities revealed

6608-502: The day, producing conditions described by the local CFA incident controller as the worst he had ever seen. To the southwest of Horsham an 82-year-old woman in a wheelchair and her daughter were collected from her house by a taxi when the fire was no more than 100 m (110 yd) away; the house was alight as the taxi drove off, and burned down within minutes. Bushfires in Australia Bushfires in Australia are

6720-415: The early hours are usually mild, but our firefighters are reporting strong winds and flame heights of five to 10 metres". Ground-based fire crews had to retreat from the fire front as the escalating conditions made firefighting in the bushland terrain impossible. The fire broke out of the park around 4:00 pm, and by 6:00 pm had burnt out 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres) of forest and farmland, threatening

6832-437: The existing fire as well as the April 2005 fires that affected the park Strong easterly winds on 12 February forced authorities to postpone the proposed burns lest they themselves pose a danger to surrounding communities, though they did proceed with preparatory work. The Maroondah/Yarra complex was a combination of several fires that had earlier been burning to the east of Healesville and Toolangi on 10 February, as part of

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6944-602: The failure of a 40-year-old tie wire, felling a power line at Remlaw, west of the city. The fire spread southwest and then southeast, across the Wimmera Highway and Wimmera River , to the Horsham Golf Course, and then to Haven , south of the city. Firefighters managed to save the general store, town hall and school at Haven, though flames came within metres of those buildings. Winds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) changed direction three times throughout

7056-510: The final fire was extinguished, Australia had one of the worst bushfire seasons in its recorded history. 2019 had been the hottest record year for Australia, with the bushfire season starting in June 2019. This caused massive damage throughout the country, with fires in each state and territory. The east coast experienced widespread destruction from mega-blazes, such as the Currowan bushfire , which

7168-467: The fire continued to burn out of control. By that afternoon, threat messages for the area had been downgraded, though firefighters were tackling a separate fire near Koetong , to the east of the main Beechworth fire, of between 50 and 80 ha (120 and 200 acres). Residents of Beechworth and surrounding towns were advised on the evening of 10 February to expect increased smoke cover as 250 firefighters would be undertaking backburning to eliminate fuel within

7280-513: The fire feared, despite efforts to establish containment lines in the park, that once the extreme weather conditions of 7 February arrived the fire would escape the confines of the park and threaten surrounding towns. By the morning of 7 February, the fire had broken through containment lines. According to the DSE incident controller for the fire, the weather conditions deteriorated much more quickly than predicted, stating that "conditions overnight and in

7392-432: The fire front would bypass Marysville. At about 5:00 pm, power was lost to the town. Around 5:30 pm, the wind died away, however, minutes later it returned from a different direction, bringing the fire up the valley with it. Afterwards, a police sergeant said that the main street in Marysville had been destroyed: "The motel at one end of it partially exists. The bakery has survived. Don't ask me how. Everything else

7504-604: The fire northeast through Callignee , destroying 57 of its 61 homes. The fire continued on to Koornalla and Traralgon South , and towards Gormandale and Willung South on the Hyland Highway . About 500 evacuees from the area sheltered at an emergency centre established in a theatre in Traralgon . The fire threatened the Loy Yang Power Station , particularly the station's open-cut coal mine . On

7616-595: The fire on 9 February, warning residents of areas between Pakenham and Warragul about smoke from those fires. The fire was controlled and co-ordinated at the Pakenham ICC in the Combined Emergency Services building, with CFA and DSE personnel running the operation depending on where the fire was at the time. Pakenham VICSES, who shared the building, also provided assistance during the fire operation. The Central Gippsland bushfires began in

7728-480: The fire scene, and while they could not determine exactly what had caused the fire as of 10 February, they suspected arson. On 10 June 2009, Victoria Police announced that they were 'completely satisfied' that the fire had been deliberately lit. On 2 February 2010, police announced that the taskforce investigating the arson had arrested two youths in relation to the Bendigo fires. The youths, aged 14 and 15, were each charged with arson causing death, deliberately lighting

7840-526: The fires started—the Country Fire Authority chief Russell Rees warned "We are in almost uncharted territory" in terms of bushfire conditions. [1] The Premier of Victoria John Brumby issued a warning about the extreme weather conditions expected on 7 February: "It's just as bad a day as you can imagine and on top of that the state is just tinder-dry. People need to exercise real common sense tomorrow". The Premier went on to state that it

7952-562: The football field at the Central Coast Leagues Club, after the evacuation of Kariong , Woy Woy , Umina , Ettalong and Brisbane Waters. Much of Gosford , Kariong and Somersby had been evacuated, along with Terry Hill. Homes at Menai , Sutherland , Chatswood , Lindfield , Turramurra, Macquarie Park and Sydney's northern beaches had been lost. 60 fires were burning on the north coast, as firefighters battled infernos over 30 hectares (74 acres) from Coffs Harbour to

8064-419: The fuel for wildfires is greater than normal, and bushfires combine to become megafires, generating their own weather and spreading fire further. Strong winds also promote the rapid spread of fires by lifting burning embers into the air. This is known as spotting and can start a new fire up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) downwind from the fire front. In New South Wales , dry Föhn-like winds originating from

8176-418: The greater Kilmore East – Murrindindi complex south. By late that morning, the complex had burned out 505 hectares (1,250 acres), with 184 personnel and 56 tankers responding to the fires. A CFA spokesperson said that while temperatures had cooled, strong winds were proving problematic, with towns in the area being threatened by embers blown from the fires. Around midday, the immediate threat to property in

8288-479: The large town of Myrtleford , at the western end of the fire area. While smaller towns to the east, including Gundowring and Kergunyah, remained under threat, the CFA said that there was no immediate danger to the larger towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah on the northern fringe of the fire area. By 10 February, firefighters had completed a 115 km (71 mi) containment line around the Beechworth fire, and sought to construct 15 km (9.3 mi) more, though

8400-408: The largest annual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide on record. Climate studies show that conditions which promote extreme bushfires in Australia will only get worse as more greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere. Southeast Australia experienced intensive and geographically extensive wildfires during the 2019–2020 summer season. The fires released substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into

8512-576: The largest firefighting efforts in Australian history. A lengthy Coronial inquest followed the fires, leading to the formation of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service . The Rural Fires Act 1997 was proclaimed on 1 September 1997. During 18–22 January 2003, almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory 's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of

8624-429: The loss of 75 people. The bushfires, caused by years of severe drought and extreme weather, were amongst the deadliest bushfires in Australian history during the late 20th century. From 27 December 1993 to 16 January 1994, over 800 severe fires burned along the coastal areas of New South Wales, affecting the state's most populous regions. Blazes emerged from the Queensland border down the north and central coast, through

8736-468: The main front, resulting in extra fire crews being brought in from Bendigo and Kyneton . The fire was contained by 10 February. A fire started at Bunyip Ridge in the Bunyip State Park on 4 February, originating near walking tracks; it was thought to have been deliberately lit. By 6 February, the fire had burned out 123 hectares (300 acres), and emergency services personnel engaged in fighting

8848-411: The night of 7 February, the fire approached the mine's overburden dump, but did not damage any infrastructure, nor did it affect the station's operations. Several small fires broke out in the bunker storing raw coal from the mine, but were contained with no damage. The threat eased by the evening of 8 February as temperatures cooled and some light rain fell. One small spot fire broke out to the south of

8960-401: The past century, causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and droughts. Eight of Australia's ten warmest years on record have occurred since 2005. A study in 2018 conducted at Melbourne University found that the major droughts of the late 20th century and early 21st century in southern Australia are "likely without precedent over the past 400 years". Across the country,

9072-645: The path of the fire. With the Prime Minister Paul Keating on leave, Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe , ordered 100 soldiers to join firefighting efforts and placed a further 100 on standby. On 8 January, the Royal National Park fire swept into the southern Sydney suburbs of Como and Jannali where many homes would be destroyed, along with two schools a church and a kindergarten. The Como/Jannali fire burnt 476 hectares (1,180 acres) and destroyed 101 houses – more than half of

9184-591: The power station, but it was contained by water bombing aircraft. By 9 February, the Churchill fire complex was still burning out of control, with fronts through the Latrobe Valley and the Strzelecki Ranges . By late that afternoon, the complex had burnt out 32,860 hectares (81,200 acres) and had killed eleven people. Wind changes that evening exacerbated parts of the Churchill complex, causing

9296-525: The public. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines five "fire danger seasons", being times of peak bushfire activity, roughly corresponding to broad bands of latitude across the Australian continent including winter and spring, across the most northern parts of Australia; spring; spring and summer; summer; and summer and autumn, across the most southern parts of Australia. Each Australian state and territory jurisdiction defines periods of peak fire risk or fire activity differently. New South Wales has

9408-676: The railway. In the southern Dandenong Ranges, bushfires ignited around Narre Warren , one of which was caused by sparks from a power tool. Six homes were destroyed in Narre Warren South and three in Narre Warren North . In the weeks following Black Saturday, fires were started in bushland along Terrys Avenue in Belgrave (which was quickly contained and extinguished by the CFA), and Lysterfield State Forest in Upwey . Amongst

9520-551: The rapid spread of fire. Severe fire storms are often named according to the day on which they peaked, including the five most deadly blazes: Black Saturday 2009 in Victoria (173 people killed, 2,000 homes lost); Ash Wednesday 1983 in Victoria and South Australia (75 dead, nearly 1,900 homes); Black Friday 1939 in Victoria (71 dead, 650 houses destroyed), Black Tuesday 1967 in Tasmania (62 people and almost 1,300 homes); and

9632-489: The situation. Strong winds fuelled the fire on the night of 8 February, and lightning ignited a new fire near Kergunyah around midday on 9 February. More than 440 personnel worked to contain a separate front that threatened Gundowring and Eskdale , having jumped the Kiewa River . Late on the night of 9 February the greatest threat was to Eskdale, and fires also burnt in pine plantations 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from

9744-417: The soil, their upper surfaces flush with the ground, were burnt through... Where the fire was most intense the soil was burnt to such a depth that it may be many years before it shall have been restored... The townships of Warrandyte , Yarra Glen , Omeo and Pomonal were badly damaged, and fires burned to the urban fringe of Melbourne, affecting towns including Toolangi , Warburton and Thomson Valley. In

9856-445: The speed and intensity of a firestorm. Where settlements are located in hilly or mountainous areas, bushfires can pose a threat to both life and property. Flat/grassland fires burn along flat plains or areas of small undulation, predominantly covered in grasses or scrubland. These fires can move quickly, fanned by high winds in flat topography, and they quickly consume the small amounts of fuel/vegetation available. These fires pose less of

9968-590: The state for around one month. 173 people died in these fires and 414 were injured. 3,500+ buildings were destroyed, including 2,029 houses, and 7,562 people displaced. In terms of loss of life and property damage, the Black Saturday fires rank as the most devastating in Australian history. The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was called to investigate the Victorian government's strategy regarding bushfires. From September 2019 until March 2020, when

10080-533: The state into midday blackness. The Stretton Royal Commission later wrote: On [13 January] it appeared that the whole State was alight. At midday, in many places, it was dark as night. Men carrying hurricane lamps, worked to make safe their families and belongings. Travellers on the highways were trapped by fires or blazing fallen trees, and perished. Throughout the land, there was daytime darkness... Steel girders and machinery were twisted by heat as if they had been of fine wire. Sleepers of heavy durable timber, set in

10192-947: The state of Victoria. Portland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, the Wimmera and Dandenong districts were badly hit, and around twelve lives were recorded lost, along with one million sheep and thousands of cattle. New arrivals from the wetter climes of Britain and Ireland learned painful lessons in fire management and the European farmers slowly began to adapt – growing green crops around their haystacks and burning fire breaks around their pastures, and becoming cautious about burn offs of wheatfield stubble and ringbarked trees. But major fire events persisted, including South Gippsland's 1898 Red Tuesday bushfires that burned 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) and claimed twelve lives and more than 2,000 buildings. A map of 19th century Australian bushfires shows over 7,000 bushfires reported in contemporary Australian newspapers. Large bushfires continued throughout

10304-782: The state's forest floors, and strong northerly winds and high temperatures drove at least 80 different fires across the south-east, burning to within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the centre of Hobart, the state capital. The infernos killed 62 people and destroyed almost 1,300 homes. In the summer of 1974-1975 (southern hemisphere), Australia suffered its worst recorded bushfire, when 15% of Australia's land mass suffered "extensive fire damage". Fires that summer burnt an estimated 117 million hectares (290 million acres ; 1,170,000 square kilometres ; 450,000 square miles ). The fires killed six people, approximately 57,000 farm animals, farmers' crops, and destroyed nearly 10,200 kilometres (6,300 mi) of fencing. On 20 February 1980,

10416-485: The state, accompanied by extremely high temperatures and extremely low humidity; a total fire ban was declared for the entire state of Victoria. As the day progressed, the highest-ever temperatures recorded to date were reached. Melbourne hit 46.4 °C (115.5 °F), the hottest temperature ever recorded for the city and humidity levels dropped to as low as two percent. The McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index reached unprecedented levels, ranging from 160 to over 200. This

10528-619: The total homes lost in New South Wales during the January emergency period. Also on 8 January, fires had reached to within 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of Gosford city centre, and some 5,000 people had been evacuated over that weekend with homes destroyed at Somersby and Peats Ridge. By 9 January, more than 16,000 people were on standby for evacuation from the Lower Blue Mountains. Thousands of people were sleeping on

10640-570: The towns of Labertouche , Tonimbuk , Jindivick , Drouin , Warragul and Longwarry , and embers were starting spot fires up to 20 km (12 mi) to the south. The fire destroyed approximately a dozen houses at Labertouche, Tonimbuk, and Drouin West, in addition to various outbuildings and a factory. The progress of the fire had been stopped by the afternoon of 9 February, though it had burned through 24,500 hectares (61,000 acres). DSE crews conducted backburning operations to ensure containment of

10752-425: The two youths were unfit to stand trial before a jury due to their intellectual disabilities. In Redesdale , southeast of Bendigo, a fire starting 9 km (5.6 mi) west of the town burnt 10,000 ha (25,000 acres) and destroyed twelve houses and various outbuildings. The fire threatened the towns of Baynton and Glenhope . Glenhope was threatened again on 9 February from a smaller fire that broke away from

10864-582: The vortices created by the fire's heat. When these vortices are tilted from horizontal to vertical, this creates fire whirls. These whirls have been known to hurl flaming logs and burning debris over considerable distances. In the Northern Territory, fires can also be spread by black kites , whistling kites and brown falcons . These birds have been spotted picking up burning twigs, flying to areas of unburned grass and dropping them to start new fires there. This exposes their prey attempting to flee

10976-608: The voyage. The fires would have been caused by both natural phenomenon and human hands. Aboriginal people in many regions set fire to grasslands in the hope of producing lusher grass to fatten kangaroos and other game and, at certain times of year, burned fire breaks as a precaution against bushfire. Fire-stick farming was also used to facilitate hunting and to promote the growth of bush potatoes and other edible ground-level plants. In central Australia, they used fire in this way to manage their country for thousands of years. Flannery writes that "The use of fire by Aboriginal people

11088-654: The world. On 29 December, the Department of Bushfire Services was monitoring more than a dozen fires around the state, and homes were threatened in Turramurra by a fire in the Lane Cove River reserve, and a scrub fire had briefly cut off the holiday village of Bundeena in the Royal National Park , south of Sydney. The Age reported on 7 January that one-quarter of NSW was under threat in

11200-494: The worst fires seen in the state for nearly fifty years, as hundreds of firefighters from interstate joined 4,000 NSW firefighters battling blazes from Batemans Bay to Grafton . Fires in the Lane Cove River area at Marsfield , Turramurra, West Pymble and Macquarie Park were threatening hundreds of homes, and the fire in the Royal National Park raged toward Bundeena , where rescue boats evacuated 3,100 people caught in

11312-656: The worst-impacted in the state, with a total of 120 deaths and more than 1,200 homes destroyed. The cause of the Kilmore East-Kinglake bushfire was found by the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission to be an ageing SP AusNet power line. According to eyewitnesses, the Murrindindi Mill fire started at 2:55 pm, while Victoria Police twice told the Royal Commission that it commenced at "about 2.30 pm". It burned southeast across

11424-495: Was also the most destructive, with over 1,800 houses destroyed and 159 lives lost in the region. Just before midday on 7 February, high winds felled a 2 km (1.2 mi) section of power lines owned by SP AusNet in Kilmore East, sparking a fire at approximately 11:45 am in open grasslands that adjoined pine plantations. The fire was fanned by extreme northwesterly winds, and travelled 50 km (31 mi) southeast in

11536-465: Was established in 1872 to serve Kilmore. The Post Office at Kilmore East opened on 1 September 1872 as Gavan Duffy, named after Sir Charles Gavan Duffy the Premier of Victoria until June of that year. It was renamed Kilmore East two months later and closed in 1976. Gavan Street and Duffy Street are reminders of the original township name. In 1976, a bluestone quarry was developed 3 km to

11648-457: Was expected to be the "worst day [of fire conditions] in the history of the state". A total of 358 firefighting personnel, mainly from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) , were deployed across the state on Friday evening (6 February) in anticipation of the extreme conditions the following day. By mid-morning Saturday, hot northwesterly winds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) hit

11760-424: Was hardest hit, with an area of almost two million 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres ; 20,000 square kilometres ; 7,700 square miles ) burned, 71 people killed, and whole townships wiped out, along with many sawmills and thousands of sheep, cattle and horses around Black Friday . Fires had been burning through December, but linked up with devastating force on Friday 13 January, plunging many areas of

11872-407: Was held in response to the bushfires. A week before the fires, a significant heatwave affected southeastern Australia. From 28 to 30 January, Melbourne broke temperature records by experiencing three consecutive days above 43 °C (109 °F), with the temperature peaking at 45.1 °C (113.2 °F) on 30 January, the third hottest day in the city's history. The wave of heat was caused by

11984-444: Was higher than the fire weather conditions experienced on Black Friday in 1939 and Ash Wednesday in 1983. Around midday, as wind speeds were reaching their peak, an incorrectly rigged ' SWER ' (single-wire earth return) mains power cable was ripped down at Kilmore East . This sparked a bushfire that became the deadliest and most intense firestorm ever recorded in Australia. The overwhelming majority of fire activity occurred between

12096-554: Was just one of many catastrophic bushfires during the 2019–2020 season. In terms of the area of land burnt, wildlife deaths, and damage to the environment, some of its permanent damage, such as the burning of remnant rainforest, the 2019–2020 fires were the worst in Australian history. Many fires are as a result of either deliberate arson or carelessness, however these fires normally happen in readily accessible areas and are rapidly brought under control. Man-made events include arcing from overhead power lines, arson, accidental ignition in

12208-507: Was killed in the fire despite the efforts of his neighbours to rescue him. The fire changed direction late on 7 February with the cool change, and headed back towards Eaglehawk; it was contained at 9:52 pm, though it was still burning within containment lines well into the next day. A relief centre was set up at Kangaroo Flat Senior Citizens Centre. During the fire, residents from Long Gully, Eaglehawk, Maiden Gully, California Gully, and West Bendigo were evacuated and advised to assemble at

12320-422: Was one of the worst on record for Australia, peaking with Victoria's devastating Black Friday bushfires of 13 January, but enduring for the full summer, with fires burning the urban fringes of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and ash falling as far away as New Zealand . The Black Friday fires were the third deadliest on record, with some 71 people killed and 650 houses destroyed. They followed years of drought and

12432-462: Was so widespread and constant that virtually every early explorer in Australia makes mention of it. It was Aboriginal fire that prompted James Cook to call Australia 'This continent of smoke'." However, he goes on to say: "When control was wrested from the Aborigines and placed in the hands of Europeans, disaster resulted." Fire suppression became the dominant paradigm in fire management leading to

12544-613: Was virtually certain to increase in intensity and frequency of fires in Australia – a conclusion that has been endorsed in numerous reports since. In November 2019, the Australian Climate Council published a report titled This is Not Normal which also found the catastrophic bushfire conditions affecting NSW and Queensland in late 2019 have been aggravated by climate change. According to Nerilie Abram writing in Scientific American "the link between

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