- hot-spots
- forest fire
- Australia
- Bushfires in Australia
Problems
Bushfires are an integral part of the Australian environment and ecology. Fire season starts from late autumn to winter in the north and spreads southwards to affect Queensland in the spring and summer and then the south and west of Australia in the summer and autumn. Many causes have been put forward, the chief one being high temperatures. The 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season was one of the most devastating in Australia's history. The fires burned more than 46 million acres (72,000 square miles), roughly the size of Syria. The fires destroyed at least 3,500 homes and thousands of other buildings, and 34 people died. The fires were particularly intense in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Experts agree that high temperatures and prolonged dry conditions led to wildfire activity on an unprecedented scale. While Australia's highest temperature recorded in one day was 50.7 degrees Celsius in 1960, 2019 was, on average, the warmest year on record. These environmental conditions exacerbated the spread of bushfires throughout the country.
Consequences of fires in Australia
Smoke haze and particulate matter affected the lives of many in the eastern and southern states. Air pollution reached dangerous levels in NSW in particular, with some areas exceeding levels deemed safe by the Australian Government by over 20 times. The fires also had significant environmental impacts, such as damaging the ozone layer, threatening endangered species, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and smoke, and altering the ecosystems and habitats of many plants and animals. The fires were a significant challenge for the Australian authorities and communities, who had to deal with evacuation, firefighting, relief, and recovery efforts. The military, international aid, and volunteers also contributed to the response.
Gallery
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Timelines
2024
February 22
Firefighters in Australia are battling a huge blaze that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people amid some of the worst fire conditions the country has seen in recent years. Hot, dry and windy conditions have created “extreme to catastrophic fire dangers” in parts of Victoria and South Australia, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology. Around 30,000 people had been ordered to evacuate parts of Victoria when authorities warned it would be too late to leave. Temperatures are rapidly rising to the 40°C range (104°F), with wind gusts reaching 60 to 70 kilometers per hour (37 to 43 mph), according to an update from Jason Heffernan, chief officer at Victoria’s Country Fire Authority (CFA), the state’s volunteer fire service. “Extreme fire dangers are coming to fruition, and in fact, we’re currently seeing catastrophic conditions in Casterdon, Hamilton and Kanagulk in the Wimmera weather district,” he said. Firefighters have been battling a bushfire that started February 22, in the rural town of Bayindeen, about 190 kilometers (118 miles) west of Melbourne, and is not yet under control, according to the state’s emergency department. Six homes have already been destroyed and authorities fear windy and dry conditions may fan the flames close to high-density residential areas. An “extreme” fire rating has been issued for large parts of Victoria, while the state’s western Wimmera region was given a “catastrophic” risk, meaning that if fires start, they will be “uncontrollable and uncontainable,” according to the Bureau of Meteorology. More than 100 state forests have been closed, the Forest Fire Management of Victoria said on social platform X. Dozens of schools and child care centers have also been shut. As the world continues to heat up, increasing the likelihood of the “fire weather” that fuels faster and more intense blazes, scientists say the risk of extreme bushfire seasons will increase.
February 13
13 February was a day of dangerous bushfire conditions, and a 'Catastrophic' fire danger rating was issued for the Wimmera district for the first time since the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. 3 fires broke out across the Grampians which impacted the towns of Dadswells Bridge, Bellfield, and Pomonal. 44 Homes were lost and 5 firefighters were injured in a burnover. These fires burnt over 6,600 ha (16,308 acres).
2023
October
Fires of significance have occurred in the Bega Valley, Ingleburn, Mudgee and the Hunter Valley. Combined these fires brunt over 98,233 ha (242,739 acres), destroying 27 homes and claiming the lives of 2. Four major bushfires began burning in the eastern Victorian region of Gippsland. A large blaze near Briagolong resulted in the town and its surrounds being evacuated, while emergency warnings were issued for residents in proximity of other fires in Loch Sport and Rawson. Strong winds in the region resulted in the fires spreading rapidly and burning out of control.
2022
November 29
Above-average fire potential was expected in parts of central western and southern WA, central Australia, southern Queensland, and inland NSW due to increased fuel loads due to significant rainfall. Western Tasmania also shows above-normal fire potential following a dry spring period.
2020
January 23
Three American firefighters die after their Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane crashed while battling bushfires in southern NSW. This brings the total number of firefighter deaths this bushfire season to eight.
January 06
The Federal Government commits $2 billion to a national bushfire recovery fund. Victoria's Premier announces that bushfires had burnt through 1.2 million ha and 200 homes have been lost.
January 03
A devastating fire on Kangaroo Island, SA, burned 170,000 ha. This represents a third of the island. Australian Navy evacuates Mallacoota, VIC, as bushfires hit the town.
2019
December 26
Lightning sparks fire in the Sterling Ranges, WA, tearing through more than 40,000 of parkland.
October 26
Lightning Bolt starts a mega-fire in Gospers Mountain, NSW. It became the epicenter of the biggest forest fire that started from a single ignition point Australia has ever known, with 444,000 ha destroyed. A bushfire in Port Macquarie, NSW, begins due to a dry electrical storm.
2017
A study of 67 years of FFDI data found a “clear trend toward more dangerous conditions during spring and summer in southern Australia, including increased frequency and magnitude of extremes, as well as indicating an earlier start to the fire season.'”
2015
September 30
Pinery fire in South Australia, killing two people and destroying over 90 homes.
2009
February 07
Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, killing 173 people and destroying over 2,000 homes.
2002
December 17
Eastern Alpine fires. Affected Big Desert Wilderness Park and Wyperfield National Park 181,400 hectares burned.
1998
January 01
22,000 hectares of Alpine National Park were burned.
1985
January 14
Bushfires burned 50,800 hectares. One hundred eighty houses, 500 farms, and 46,000 stock were destroyed, and three people died. Areas affected included Avoca, Maryborough, and Little River. Fires also affected the alpine region, with the largest at Mt Buffalo.