Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year due to Australia's mostly hot, dry climate. Large areas of land are ravaged every year by bushfires, which also cause property damage and loss of life.
Certain native flora in Australia have evolved to rely on bushfires as a means of reproduction and fire events are an interwoven and an essential part of the ecology of the continent. In some eucalypt and banksia species, for example, fire causes seed pods to open, which allows them to germinate. Fire also encourages the growth of new grassland plants. Other species have adapted to recover quickly from fire.
For many thousands of years, Indigenous Australians people have used fire for a variety of purposes. These included the encouragement of grasslands for hunting purposes and the clearing of tracks through dense vegetation.
Major firestorms that result in severe loss of life are often named based on the day on which they occur, such as Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday. Some of the most intense, extensive and deadly bushfires commonly occur during droughts and heat waves, such as the 2009 Southern Australia heat wave, which precipitated the conditions during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in which 173 people lost their lives.
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Bushfires in Australia, are generally defined as any uncontrolled, non-structural fire burning in a grass, scrub, bush or forested area. Australia, being a geographically and meteorogically diverse continent, experiences many types of bushfires. Fires can be divided into two main categories, depending on topography of the area.
Common causes of bushfires include lightning, arson, accidental ignition from agricultural clearing, campfires, cigarettes and dropped matches, machinery, and controlled burn escapes.
The natural fire regime in Australia was altered by the arrival of humans. Fires became more frequent, and fire-loving species—notably eucalypts—greatly expanded their range.[1] It is assumed that a good deal of this change came about as the result of deliberate action by early humans, setting fires to clear undergrowth or drive game.[2]
Plants have evolved a variety of strategies 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 the leaves) as a way to eliminate competition from less fire-tolerant species.[3]
Some native animals are also adept at surviving bushfires.
In 2009, a standardised Fire Danger Rating (FDR) was adopted by all Australian states. During the fire season the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) provides fire weather forecasts and by considering the predicted weather including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and dryness of vegetation, fire agencies determine the appropriate Fire Danger Rating.[4] In 2010, following a national review of the bush fire danger ratings, new trigger points for each rating were introduced for grassland areas in most jurisdictions. See for example the following glossary [5]
Fire Danger Ratings are a feature of weather forecasts and alert the community to the actions they should take in preparation of the day. Ratings are broadcast via newspapers, radio, TV and on websites.
| Category | Fire Danger Index |
|---|---|
| Catastrophic / Code Red | Forest 100+ Grass 150+ |
| Extreme | Forest 75 – 100 Grass 100-150 |
| Severe | Forest 50 – 75 Grass 50 - 100 |
| Very high | 25 - 50 |
| High | 12 – 25 |
| Low to moderate | 0 - 12 |
The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) is the peak body responsible for representing fire, emergency services and land management agencies in the Australasian region.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales.[6]
The Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia.
In Victoria, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) provides firefighting and other emergency services to country areas and regional townships within the state, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne not covered by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.[7]
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) is the prime organisation managing bushfire in that state.[8] The Authority supports other organisation including the Bush Fire Service, Emergency Services Cadets, Fire and Rescue Service, State Emergency Service, Volunteer Emergency Service, Volunteer Fire Service, Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service and the Volunteer Marine Rescue Services.
Bushfires in Australia can occur all year-round, however the severity and the "bushfire season" varies by region.[9] These seasons are commonly grouped into years such as "2006-07 Australian bushfire season" and typically run from June one year until May the next year.
In south east Australia, bushfires tend to be most common and most severe during summer and autumn (December–March), in drought years, and particularly severe in El Niño years. Southeast Australia is fire prone, and warm and dry conditions intensify the probability of fire.[10] In the north of Australia, bushfires usually occur during the dry season (April to September),[11] and fire severity tends to be more associated with seasonal weather patterns. In the southwest, similarly, bushfires occur in the summer dry season and severity is usually related to seasonal growth. Fire frequency in the north is difficult to assess, as the vast majority of fires are caused by human activity, however lightning strikes are as common a cause as human ignited fires and arson.
Bushfires have accounted for over 800 deaths in Australia since 1851 and the total accumulated cost is estimated at $1.6 billion.[12] In terms of monetary cost however, they rate behind the damage caused by drought, severe storms, hail, and cyclones,[13] perhaps because they most commonly occur outside highly populated urban areas.
Some of the most severe Australian bushfires in chronological order, have included:
| Fire | Location | Area burned | Date | Deaths | Properties damaged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Thursday bushfires | Victoria, Australia | approximately 5 million ha | 6 February 1851 | about 12 | 1 million sheep; thousands of cattle[14] |
| Red Tuesday bushfires | Victoria | 260,000 ha | 1 February 1898 | 12 | 2,000 buildings[15] |
| 1926 bushfires | Victoria | February – March 1926 | 60[16] | 1000 | |
| Black Friday bushfires | Victoria | 2,000,000 ha | December 1938 – January 1939, peaking 13 January 1939 | 71 | 3,700 |
| 1944 Bushfires | Victoria | estimated 1 million ha | 14 January – 14 February 1944 | 15–20 | more than 500 houses[15] |
| 1951-2 Bushfires | Victoria | Summer 1951–52 | at least 10[17] | ||
| Black Sunday Bushfires | South Australia | 2 January 1955 | 2 | ||
| 1961 Western Australian bushfires [18] | Western Australia | 1,800,000 ha | January–March 1961 | 0 | 160 homes |
| 1962 bushfires | Victoria | 14–16 January 1962 | 32 | 450 houses[16] | |
| Southern Highlands bushfires | New South Wales | 5–14 March 1965 | 3 | 59 homes | |
| Tasmanian "Black Tuesday" bushfires | Tasmania | Approximately 264,000 ha | 1967 | 62 | 1,293 homes |
| Dandenong Ranges Bushfire | Victoria | 1,920 ha | 19 February 1968 | 53 homes 10 other buildings | |
| 1969 bushfires | Victoria | 8 January 1969 | 23 | 230 houses[16] | |
| Western Districts Bushfires | Victoria | 103,000 ha | 12 February 1977 | 4 | 116 houses 340 Buildings |
| 1978 Western Australian Bushfires | Western Australia | 114,000 ha | 4 April 1978 | 2 | 6 buildings (drop in wind in early evening is said to have saved the towns of Donnybrook, Boyup Brook, Manjimup and Bridgetown.) |
| Northern Sydney bushfires | Sydney, NSW | 1979 | |||
| Ash Wednesday bushfires | South Australia and Victoria | 418,000 ha | 16 February 1983 | 75 | about 2,400 houses |
| Central Victoria Bushfires | Victoria | 50,800 ha | 14 January 1985 | 3 | 180+ houses |
| 1994 Eastern seaboard fires | New South Wales | 27 December 1993 – 16 January 1994 | 4 | 225 homes | |
| Wooroloo Bushfire | Western Australia | 10,500 ha | 8 January 1997 | 0 | 16 homes |
| Dandenongs bushfire | Victoria | 400 | 21 January 1997 | 3 | 41 homes[19] |
| Lithgow bushfire | New South Wales | 2 December 1997 | 2[19] | ||
| Perth and SW Region bushfires | West Australia | 23,000 ha | 2 December 1997 | 2 (21 injuries) | 1 home lost |
| Linton bushfire | Victoria | 1998 | 5 | ||
| Black Christmas (bushfires) | New South Wales | 740,000 acres (3,000 km2) | 2001–02 | 0 | 121 homes |
| 2003 Canberra bushfires | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | 2003 | 4 | almost 500 homes[19] | |
| 2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires | Victoria | over 1.3 million ha | 8 January – 8 March 2003 | 41 homes | |
| Tenterden | Western Australia | December 2003 | 2 | (2,110,000 ha of forest burnt during the 2002-2003 bushfire season in the S/W of WA) | |
| Eyre Peninsula bushfire | South Australia | 145,000 ha | 2005 | 9 | 93 homes |
| 2006 Central Coast bushfire | Central Coast, New South Wales | New Years Day, 2006 | |||
| Jail Break Inn Fire | Junee, New South Wales | 30,000 ha[20] | New Years Day 2006 | 0 | Livestock losses estimated to be over 20,000. Seven homes, seven headers and four shearing sheds destroyed. 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) of fencing damaged.[21] |
| 2005 Victorian bushires | Victoria | 160,000 ha | December 2005 – January 2006 | 4 | 57 houses, 359 farm buildings, 65,000 stock losses, fires occurred in the Stawell, Moondarra, Anakie, Yea and Kinglake regions [22] |
| Grampians Bushfire | Victoria | 184,000 | January 2006 | 2 | |
| Pulletop bushfire | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | 9,000 | 6 February 2006 | 0 | 2,500 sheep and 6 cattle killed, 3 vehicles and 2 hay sheds destroyed as well as 50 km of fencing. |
| The Great Divides Fire | Victoria | 1,048,000 ha | 1 Dec 2006 - March 2007 | 1 | 51 homes |
| 2006-07 Australian bushfire season | September 2006 – January 2007 | ||||
| Dwellingup bushfire | Western Australia | 12,000 ha | 4 February 2007 | 0 | 16 |
| Kangaroo Island Bushfires | South Australia | 95,000 ha | 6–14 December 2007 | 1 | |
| Boorabbin National Park | Western Australia | 40,000 ha | 30 December 2007 | 3 | Powerlines and Great Eastern Highway, forced to close for 2 weeks |
| Black Saturday bushfires | Victoria | 450,000+ ha | 7 February 2009 – 14 March 2009 | 173 | 2,029+ houses, 2,000 other structures |
| Toodyay Bushfire | Western Australia | 3,000+ ha | 29 December 2009 | 0 | 38 |
| Lake Clifton Bushfire | Western Australia | 2,000+ ha | 11 January 2011 | 0 | 10 homes destroyed |
| Roleystone Kelmscott Bushfire | Western Australia | 1500+ ha | 6-8 February 2011 | 0 | 72 homes destroyed, 32 damaged, Buckingham Bridge on Brookton Highway collapsed and closed for 3 weeks whilst a temporary bridge was constructed and opened a month after the fires |
| Margaret River Bushfire | Western Australia | 4000 ha | 24 November 2011 | 0 | 31 homes destroyed including the historic Wallcliffe House |
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