Wildfires in Australia

Romsey Australia: Summary of Major Bush Fires in Australia Since 1851 Page 1 of 24
Romsey Climate Historical Alerts Interactive Information
Summary of major Bushfires Since 1851. Victoria Australia
Pine plantation fire adjacent to Hume Highway at Wandong Victoria *
Summary of major Bushfires Since 1851. Victoria Australia
Select an article on this page.

1: Major bushfires in Victoria.
2: Significant Bushfires and the death toll incurred
3: " Black Saturday " 7 th of February. 2009 Bushfire.
4: The most vulnerable 52 Towns identified as high bushfire risk areas.
5: The largest bushfires in Australia.
6: Australian Bushfire Map 1997 - 2008.
7: Deaths from wildfire / bushfire disasters worldwide
8: Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission 2009 Public-Hearings
9: Current Active Bushfire Map and Victorian Roads closure.
Select another Australian Region
Queensland Tasmania Australian Capital Territory
South Australia West Australia New South Wales
Bushfires and Wildfires in Australia
file://C:\WEB-NOV09\firesum.html 27/Dec/09
Bushfire Risk Map
"Bushfires are a natural part of ecosystem processes in Australia. However, as

human settlements expand into or adjacent to bushland areas, the risk to lives and
property increases." Source: The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol. 22 No. 2, May
2007
6th of February, 1851 - "Black Thursday"
The largest Australian bushfire in European recorded history that burnt an area
of approximately 5 million ha. which covered a quarter of Victoria.
The areas affected include Portland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, the Wimmera
and Dandenong districts. Approximately 12 lives, one million sheep and
thousands of cattle were lost.The elevation of Port Phillip district into the colony
of Victoria, was on the 1st of July 1851.
Source: 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2004
" The blasts of air were so impregnated with smoke and heat, that the lungs
seemed absolutely to collapse under their withering influence;... "
Source: From the Melbourne "Argus" Newspaper Feb. 8.1851
" The fire kept enlarging its orbit, rolling about like some huge monster,
destroying everything it touched, its track marked by charred timber, embers
and ashes, cries and lamentations. Not content with dashing along the ground ,
it ran up the highest trees and the flames leaped in monkey fashion from tree
to tree. "
Source: From the "Melbourne Herald" Newspaper February 1883
Read : Historical Newspaper articles about Black Thursday 1851
27 February 1865 - "Black Monday"
" On Black Monday the worst day for heat and smoke we have had since Black
Thursday, in 1851 -the destruction of property was very great, and no one
who has not seen a fire raging among the stubbles and fences on tilled lands,
with a strong north wind blowing, can well imagine what this is.
From Geelong to Ballarat was nearly a line of fire, and numerous houses,
fences, and crops were either burnt up or with difficulty saved. In the country
round Daylesford similar disasters occurred. .... "
Source: Perth Gazette & W.A. Times Friday 21 April 1865
1 February 1898 - "Red Tuesday"
Fires burnt 260,000 hectares in South Gippsland. Twelve lives and more than
2,000 buildings were destroyed.
"... People however soon began to find that the water caught has an
unmistakably smoky flavor, which may easily be accounted for by the fact that
the atmosphere during the rain and for a long time before was much thickened
by smoke from bushfires ..."
Source: The McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser, 17 February 1898.
Early 1900s
Destructive and widespread fires are reported to have occurred in 1905 and
1906. Fires extended from Gippsland to the Grampians in 1912. In 1914, fires
burnt more than 100,000 hectares. In 1919 extensive fires occurred in the
Otway Ranges.
February - March 1926 - "Black Sunday"
Forest fires burnt across large areas of Gippsland throughout February and
into early March. Sixty lives were lost in addition to widespread damage to
farms, homes and forests. The fires came to a head on February 14, with 31
deaths recorded at Warburton. Other areas affected include Noojee, Kinglake,
Erica, and the Dandenong Ranges. Widespread fires also occurred across other
eastern states.
1932
Major fires occurred in many districts across Victoria throughout the summer.
Large areas of State forest in Gippsland were burnt and nine lives were lost.
Total area burnt in Victoria from the fires between Dec 21, 1931 and Feb 6,
1932, there were 206, 000 Ha burnt from 307 fires. Source: Foley 1947
13 January 1939 - "Black Friday"
From December 1938 to January 1939, fires burnt 1.5 to 2 million hectares,
including 800,000 hectares of protected forest, 600,000 hectares of reserved
forest and 4,000 hectares of plantations.
The fire severity peaked on Friday January 13 - "Black Friday". The fires
caused seventy one fatalities and destroyed more than 650 buildings and the
township of Narbethong.
“ Men who had lived their lives in the bush went their ways in the shadow of dread
expectancy. But though they felt the imminence of danger they could not tell that it
was to be far greater than they could imagine. They had not lived long enough. The
experience of the past could not guide them to an understanding of what might, and
did, happen. “
Source: Judge Leonard Stretton, authority presiding over the Royal Commission into the Black Friday Fires.
Bushfire affected area from December 1938 to January 1939
The fires affected almost every section of Victoria. Areas hardest hit included
Noojee, Woods Point, Omeo, Warrandyte, and Yarra Glen. Other areas
affected include Warburton, Erica, Rubicon, Dromana, Mansfield, Otway
Ranges and the Grampian Ranges.
3-4 March 1942
Fires in South Gippsland caused one human fatality, large losses of stock and
destroyed more than 20 homes and 2 farms.
22 December 1943
The first major fire of the 1943/44 season occurred near Wangaratta, killing
ten people and burning hundreds of hectares of grassland.
14 January - 14 February 1944
Fires in the Western Districts destroyed over 500 houses and caused huge
losses in the pastoral industry. Four or more grass fires near Hamilton,
Dunkeld, Skipton and Lake Bolac burnt approximately 440,000 hectares in
eight hours.
Records indicate that between fifteen and twenty people died as a result of
these fires. The total area covered by grass fires that season was estimated to
be in the order of 1 million hectares.
One of the many bushfires of 1944 occurred on the outskirts of Melbourne at

bayside Beaumaris. It burnt an area of 280 ha, directly threatening 118
houses, of which 58 were destroyed and 8 were damaged.
5 February 1952
A fire that originated on the Hume Highway near Benalla burnt approximately
100,000 hectares and caused the deaths of several people.
14-16 January 1962
Fires in the Dandenong Ranges and on the outskirts of Melbourne caused

thirty three fatalities and destroyed over 450 houses. Areas severely affected
include The Basin, Christmas Hills, Kinglake, St Andrews, Hurstbridge,
Warrandyte and Mitcham.
17 January 1965
A major grass fire burning near Longwood in Northern Victoria caused seven
fatalities and burnt six houses.
21 February - 13 March 1965
Fires in Gippsland burnt for 17 days, covering 300,000 hectares of forest and
15,000 hectares of grassland. Over 60 buildings and 4,000 stock were
destroyed.
19 February 1968
A fire in the Dandenong Ranges burnt 1,920 hectares and destroyed 53

houses and over 10 other buildings. Areas affected include The Basin and
Upwey.
8 January 1969
280 fires broke out on the 8th of January 1969. Of these, 12 grass fires
reached major proportions and burnt 250,000 hectares. Areas seriously
affected included Lara, Daylesford, Dulgana, Yea, Darraweit, Kangaroo Flat
and Korongvale. Twenty-three people died, including 17 motorists at Lara,
trapped on the Geelong to Melbourne freeway. The fires also destroyed 230
houses, 21 other buildings and more than 12,000 stock.
14 December 1972
A fire at Mount Buffalo burnt for 12 days, covering an area of approximately

12,140 hectares. This area included 7,400 hectares of State forest and 4,520
hectares of National Park.
12 February 1977
Widespread fires occurred across the Western District of Victoria, mostly in

grasslands. The fires caused the deaths of four people and burnt
approximately 103,000 hectares. More than 198,500 stock, 116 houses and
340 buildings were lost.
28 December 1980 – 6 January 1981
A fire started from a lightning strike on December 28, 1980 and continued to
burn through until
6 January 1981. The fire burnt 119,000 hectares in the Sunset Country and
the Big Desert.
31 January 1983
Fires in the Cann River forest district burnt more than 250,000 hectares
including large areas of State forest.
1 February 1983
A fire at Mt Macedon burnt 6,100 hectares including 1,864 hectares of State

forest. Fifty houses were destroyed.
16 February 1983 - "Ash Wednesday"
Australia's most well-known bushfire event. Over 100 fires in Victoria burnt
210,000 hectares and caused forty seven fatalities. More than 27,000 stock
and 2,000 houses were lost. Areas severely affected included Monivae,
Branxholme, East Trentham, Mt Macedon, the Otway Ranges, Warburton,
Belgrave Heights, Cockatoo, Beaconsfield Upper and Framlingham.
16th of February 1983 Southern Victoria and S.A. Bushfires
On 16 February 1983, 'Ash Wednesday', widespread, extreme fires fanned by

winds gusting to over 100km/h (109 at Laverton, Vic and stronger on coast)
and maximum temperature in Melbourne of 43.2 C with relative humidity
readings of only 6%.
Similar conditions across much of Vic and SA resulted in a deadly rapid spread
of the bushfires. They destroyed approximately 2,500 homes or major
buildings.
In Victoria alone, these included 1719 houses (plus approx 300 in SA), 82
commercial properties (hotels, restaurants, stores, etc), and 23 dairies.
Additionally, 1,238 farms were damaged in Vic contributing to a total of
approximately 1,700 other (minor) buildings damaged in the two states. Also a
large number of vehicles were destroyed.
Total deaths were 75 ( SA=28 and Vic=47*, incl 13 CFA & 2 other firefighters)
and 2676 reported injuries. (*Note that the exact no. of deaths varies at official
levels depending on when initially surviving victims succumbed to their
injuries). Worst affected areas in Victoria included Framlingham (9 dead, 83
homes lost), Otway Ranges and Aireys Inllet (3 dead, 730 homes
lost),Macedon and Mt Macedon (7 dead, 400 homes lost), Cockatoo (7 dead,
300 homes lost), Upper Beaconsfield and Belgrave Heights (21 dead, 180
homes lost).
In SA - Adelaide Hills (12 dead, 150 homes lost, incl 5 dead and 25 homes lost
at Greenhill) and in the south-east of the State (14 dead, 40 homes lost mainly
in the Mt Gambier area). Of 2676 injuries, 133 required hospitalisation
Over 300,000 livestock died (incl over 250,000 sheep and cattle in SA, 27,000
in Vic, plus thousands of others including poultry, pigs, horses, donkeys, deer,
etc) while 15,900 km of fencing and 1.5 million hay bales burnt.
In SA alone, over 10,000km of fencing was destroyed across nearly 1000 rural
properties.
More than 1 million ha burnt in Vic and SA during the 1982/83 summer with
about half of that area affected during the main fires Feb 16-18 (210,000ha in
Vic).
In SA alone, some indicative rural loss (1983) values, as reported by the SA

Australian Agriculture Department included: Sheep $5.75m; cattle $2.1m;
fencing, $10.2m; fixed assets, including homes, wool sheds, workshops &
equipment $50m. These contributed to the State total estimated cost of $200m
(1983 Review Team Report).
A total of 4,540 insurance claims were paid totalling $176m and a total
estimated cost of well over $400m (1983 values) for both states combined.
14 January 1985
A major fire in Central Victoria burnt 50,800 hectares of land, including 17,600
hectares of Crown Land. Three people died and over 180 houses, 500 farms
and 46,000 stock were destroyed as a result of the fire. Areas affected include
Avoca, Maryborough, and Little River.
21 January 1997
Five major fires broke out including fires in the Dandenong Ranges that
caused three fatalities, destroyed 41 houses and burnt 400 hectares. Other
areas affected include Arthurs Seat, Eildon State Park, Gippsland and
Creswick.
New Years Eve – 9 January 1998
A fire reported on New Years Eve continued for 10 days and burnt a total of
32,000 hectares. Of this area, 22,000 hectares was in the Alpine National Park
(12,500 hectares of which is Wilderness or Remote Natural Area) and 10,000

hectares was in the Carey River State Forest. The suspected cause of the fire
was a campfire.
Big Desert Fire - December 2002
Lightning in the North West caused two fires - one in the Big Desert
Wilderness Park and another in the adjoining Wyperfield National Park on 17
December. Fanned by dry fuel and poor weather conditions, these fires joined
to eventually burn 181,400 hectares.
An abandoned house was destroyed, as well as 400 hectares of private

property. The fire was later declared safe on 31 December after 25mm rain fell
in the area.
Eastern Victorian (Alpine) Fires 2003
Eighty seven fires were started by lightning in the north east of Victoria on 8
January 2003. Eight of these fires were unable to be contained and joined
together to form the largest fire in Victoria since the 1851 "Black Thursday"
bushfires. Burning for 59 days before being contained, the fires burnt over 1.3
million hectares, 41 homes and over 9,000 livestock, with thousands of
kilometres of fencing also being destroyed. Areas affected include Mt Buffalo,
Bright, Dinner Plain, Benambra and Omeo.
Active Bushfires in Australia 18th January 2003
Satellite image of Active Bushfires in Australia 18th January 2003

Canberra fire shown as yellow markers
During the 2002-2003 bushfire season, there were 5,999 bushfires attended
by the relevant agency (a) Australia wide, 21,241,000 ha burnt and 7

Fatalities. (a) this does not include, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory
" The geographic location and the topography of Australia mean that almost all
vegetation types in the country are fire prone ....Even the normally arid
interior of the country is capable of carrying extensive fires. " Source: 1301.0 - Year
Book Australia, 1995
Victorian Fires 2005
Across Victoria more than 500 fires broke out in January 2006 (including the
Deep Lead fire that started near Stawell on New Year’s Eve). The fires were
fuelled by strong winds and extreme temperatures, including many days with
temperatures above 40 degrees. The fires with greatest impact on the
Victorian community occurred in the Stawell (Deep Lead), Yea, Moondarra,
Grampians, Kinglake and Anakie areas.
The fires caused the following losses and damage:

Fatalities: 4
Houses destroyed: 57 (19 of principle residence)
Buildings: 359 farm buildings lost, 39 woolsheds and 22 haysheds
Stock losses: 64,265 (63,243 sheep, 557 cattle and 464 other stock) and
over 2,500 commercial beehives
Area burnt: 160,000 hectares (60% public land, 40% private land -
Approximately 98,000 hectares of national parks and conservation areas and
6,000 hectares of State forest were burnt)
Fencing: 364km of crown land boundary fencing and 2281km of other
boundary or internal fencing
Reference. http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/
The Great Divide Fires of 2006 - 07
The Great Divide Fires of 2006/07 were the longest running bushfires in
Victoria’s fire history.
On 1 December 2006, over 70 fires were caused by lightening strikes.
Many of these fires eventually merged to become the Great Divide Complex,
which lasted 69 days and burnt approximately 1,048,000 hectares of public
and private land.
Multiple other fires occurred simultaneously across the state.
Fifty-one houses, including twenty-one principle residences, and hundreds of

stock and farm fences were lost in the fires. One man died in a vehicle
accident while assisting a property owner to prepare for fire impact.
By the 7th February, more than 1400 firefighters had been injured (including
bruises, cuts, blisters, burns, dehydration, broken limbs and spider bites).
More than 400 St John Ambulance volunteers, including doctors, nurses and
first aid officers provided first aid.
On 16 December, eleven New Zealand firefighters were injured while fighting
the fire in the Howqua Valley in north-east Victoria.
Satellite image of Active Bushfires in Australia 07/12/06 - 16/12/06

The Great Divide fires are depicted as yellow
The fire map accumulates the locations of the fires detected by MODIS on
board the Terra and Aqua satellites over a 10-day period. Each colored dot
indicates a location where MODIS detected at least one fire during the
compositing period. Color ranges from red where the fire count is low to
yellow where number of fires is large.
View Satellite Image
7 th of February. 2009 " Black Saturday "
" February 7th 2009 will be remembered as the day when more than 400 fires
burnt across the State during the most severe weather conditions
recorded." (#)
173 people perished in the Victorian bushfire inferno " Black Saturday " on the
7 th of February. 2009 which, destroyed 2,029 homes, 2,498 buildings,
59 Commercial Premises and the loss of 5,223 stock.
It burnt out 411,239 hectares of land.
The Victorian Bushfires that occurred on 7 February 2009 are considered to be

the worst natural disaster in Australian history. Significant loss and damage
resulted in many regions of Victoria.
Fires affected at least 70 communities and 300 areas, including Marysville,

Kinglake, Kinglake West, Kilmore, Yea, Murrindindi, Alexandra, St Andrews,
Reedy Creek, Mittons Bridge, Humevale, Heathcote Junction, Flowerdale,
Beechworth, Dargo, Bunyip, Mudgegonga, Narbethong, Cambarville,
Koornalla, Jerralang Junction, Churchill, Callignee, Yarra Glen, Whittlesea,
Upper Plenty, Toolangi, Strath Creek, Strathewen, Steels Creek, Bendigo and
Redesdale.
Location and number of deceased found:
Kinglake / Whittlesea Fires

Kinglake 38 Kinglake West 4
St Andrews 12 Canberville 1
Humevale 6 Strathewen 27
Flowerdale 2 Hazeldene 10
Steeles Creek 10 Arthurs Creek 2
Strath Creek 1 Toolangi 2
Marysville 34 Clonbinane 1
Heathcote Junction 1 Upper Plenty 1
Whittlesea 2 Narbethong 4
Yarra Glen 1 Total 159
Gippsland Fires
Callignee 3 Callignee Upper 1
Churchill 2 Koornalla 4
Jeeralang Junction 1 Total 11
Beechworth Fires
Mudgegonga 2 Total 2
Bendigo Fires
Long Gully 1 Total 1
There were 414 patients who presented to hospital emergency departments as

a result of the bushfires.(12)
According to the Insurance Council of Australia on 4 March 2009,

"... The general insurance industry has received approximately 8150 claims
with an estimated insurable cost of $1.02 billion ".
However the full extent of costs to the communities will not be known for a
considerable period of time.
The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was established on 16

February 2009 to investigate the causes of and responses to the bushfires that
swept through parts of Victoria in February. The Commission is expected to
deliver an interim report by 17 August 2009 and a final report by 31 July
2010.
Source: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA, http://www.ema.gov.au/ Accessed 14th May 2009
Source: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=20350 Accessed 14th May 2009
Source: Department of Sustainability and Environment Document was last reviewed on 17/03/2009
Source: Full Day Hansard Transcript (Legislative Council, 10 March 2009)
(12)
Source: Black Saturday: the immediate impact of the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia
The Medical Journal of Australia MJA 2009; 191 (1): 11-16 Accessed: 14th July 2009
(#)
Source: Condolence Speech - Victorian Fires The Hon Julia Gillard MP 9 February, 2009
Fires in Australia from 31-01-2009 to 9-2-2009
Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response System at NASA/GSFC
Kinglake - Marysville Bushfire Complex 5th to 10th February 2009
Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission 2009 Public Hearings

The first block of public hearings will began on Monday, 11 May 2009, in Room
4.3 at the County Court of Victoria, 250 William Street, Melbourne.
Transcripts from the Royal Commission for dowload are available
Click here.
The most vulnerable 52 Towns identified as high bushfire risk areas.

During the 2009/10 fire season, township protection plans will be piloted in
52 identified priority bushfire risk locations. Source. C.F.A http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/
Summer tourist areas

Airey’s Inlet townships Anderson’s Inlet townships
Anglesea Blairgowrie
Carlisle River Lorne
Marengo Rye/St Andrews
Sandy Point Wye River Townships
Towns in bushland
Barongarook Bemm River
Blackwood Bolwarra
Cann River Cockatoo
Creswick Dereel
Gembrook Greendale
Hepburn Macedon
Mount Macedon Noojee
Steiglitz Trentham
Towns near bushland
Barwon Downs Breamlea
Castlemaine Daylesford
Deans Marsh Dunkeld
Forrest Halls Gap
Jan Juc Junortoun
Kawaren Laver’s Hill
Loch Sport Malacoota
Nelson Peterborough
St Arnaud Upper Beaconsfield
Woodend
Suburbs in bushland
Warrandyte North Warrandyte
Mt Helen Mt Clear
Suburbs near bushland
Eaglehawk Maiden Gully

Kangaroo flat Dandenong Ranges **
Large population centres next to bushland - Bendigo

** Communities on the western escarpment and the ridge line of the
Dandenong Ranges.
How these areas were identified.
The fire agencies have assessed the whole of the state of Victoria to
determine the risks of bushfire in the 2009-10 fire season.
Rigorous scientific evidence has been used to identify the most vulnerable
areas by taking account of factors including:
1: Population density which relates to both the number of people and
where there are large transient populations. Transient populations are
important because they do not understand the area the way the locals do and
wont know about the plans for fire.
2: Potential for extreme fire behaviour. A number of things are
considered including how much dry vegetation there is, how steep the slope
is, and what direction the slope is facing. Slopes that face north and west are
drier than slopes facing south and east.
3: Proximity, type and volume of fuel load making communities more
vulnerable if large fires are able to gain strength prior to it impacting on
communities.
4: How easy it is to leaving safely which goes to questions of the number of
usable roads.
5: How easy it is to get help , which is about the number of usable roads
and how isolated the community is.
6: How well prepared the community is.
7: Recent planning requirements will have mitigated the risk of fire.
The fire agencies have found that the most vulnerable areas have been
identified because,
8: They have high population densities, which may also arise because of the
influx of summer tourists.
9: They are located in areas where the physical characteristics of the area
assist in building fire intensity.
10: Fires are potentially well fed by fuel load before they reach the town or
community. Some communities are more likely to impacted by a well
established bushfire.
11: They have limited ability to leave the area safely by road because of the
limited number of roads or the likelihood that those affected do not know the
local area well.
12: Fire trucks may not be able to be brought into an area and so it will be
dependent on local resources only.
13: They have communities that have not had experience over time in
preparing for extreme fire events.
14: They are old townships or communities built with materials and
standards not designed to minimise the impact of fire.
Significant Bushfires and the death toll incurred in Victoria Australia
ha.
Year Location Start Date Dead
Burned
1851 Widespread Bushfires "Black Thursday" 06/02/1851 12 5 million
1865 West,Central,South "Black Monday" 27/02/1865
1879 The whole of the south Gippsland (2).
1898 South Gippsland, "Red Tuesday" 01/02/1898 12 260,000

1905 Widespread (incl Dandenong Ranges) 01/12/1905 12
1913 Chelsea (Melbourne), Vic: Bushfire 01/01/1913
1914 Gippsland, Grampians, Otway Ranges 01/01/1914 100,000
1919 Otway Ranges, 01/02/1919 3
1919 Grampians, 15/11/1919 48,500
1923 Mansfield Bushfire 01/01/1923 1
Noojee, Kinglake, Warburton, Erica,
1926 01/02/1926 60 400,000
Dandenong Ranges
1932 Widesread (incl Gippsland), Victoria:(3) 01/01/1932 9 206,000
1933 Gippsland 01/01/1933 1

1939 Narbethong Bushfire 08/01/1939 2
1939 Southern Victoria: "Black Friday" 13/01/1939 71 2 million
1942 Hamilton, South Gippsland – Yarram 03/03/1942 1
1943 Western, Central,Southern Victoria: 22/12/1943 51 1 million
1952 Central and Southern Victoria: Benalla 01/01/1952 10 100,000

Christmas Hills, Kinglake, St Andrews,
1962 14/01/1962 33
Hurstbridge, Warrandyte, Mitcham
1965 South-Eastern and Central Victoria. 15/02/1965 3 315,000
1965 Longwood District, Victoria: Grassfire 17/01/1965 7
1968 Dandenong Ranges, The Basin, Upwey 19/02/1968 1,920
280 fires, Daylesford, Bulgana, Yea,
1969 08/01/1969 23 250,000
Darraweit, Kangaroo Flat, Korongvale
1972 Mt Buffalo 14/12/1972 12,140
Penshurst, Tatyoon, Streatham,
1977 Creswick, Pura Pura, Werneth, Cressy, 12/02/1977 8 103,000
Rokewood, Beeac, Mingay, Little River
1978 East Gippsland, Bairnsdale 15/01/1978 2
1980 Sunset country and the Big Desert 28/12/1980 119,000
1983 Cann River 31/01/1983 260,000
1983 Mt Macedon Bushfire 01/02/1983 6,100
1983 Southern Victoria "Ash Wednesday" (4a) 16/02/1983 47 210,000
Avoca–Maryborough, Little River,

1985 14/01/1985 5 50,800
Springfield, Melton
1988 Southern Victoria 02/11/1988
1990 Strathbogie Ranges. 27/12/1990 1
1994 Lorne 11/01/1994
1995 Berringa 23/02/1995 10,000
1995 South-Western Victoria Bushfires 10/01/1995
1997 Winton and Romsey Bushfires 16/02/1997 300
Dandenong Ranges, Creswick,
1997 19/01/1997 3 3,700
Heathcote, Teddywaddy, Gough’s Bay
1997 Sunbury, Vic: Bushfire 24/03/1997 100
Caledonia River area of Alpine National
1997 31/12/1997 32,000
Park, Carey River State Forest
1998 Wilson's Promontory 01/02/1998 1,600
1998 Trentham 22/03/1998 3,500
1998 Southern Victoria Bushfires 12/03/1998
1998 Linton, Vic: Bushfires(4) 02/12/1998 5 780
2000 Melbourne and NW Vic: 10/02/2000

2000 Portland Region 18/01/2000
2000 Horsham,Stawell,Ballarat Regions 28/11/2000
2002 Big Desert 17/12/2002 181,800
Over 80 fires started by lightning—
2003 08/01/03 1 1,300,000
north-east Victoria, Gippsland
2005 Stawell,Yea,Grampians,Kinglake,Anakie 31/12/05 4 160,000
2006 Great Divide Complex Bushfires: 01/12/06 1 1,048,000
2009 Black Saturday Victorian Bushfires 07/02/09 173 411,239
ha. = hectares Total Deaths 561
( Data revised 1st August 2009 )

This list is not definitive but gives an idea of the major fire events, particularly
after 1939 when the reliability of information increases.
Some minor bushfire events have also been included.
During this period there were 561 Human fatalities
Australia Wide Bushfires 1851 - 2009

During this period there were 815 Human fatalities and 9,946 people were
injured. These Fires had affected 1,311,050 people and made 31,942
homeless. The Total estimated Cost $1,673,697,366. Note this does not
include the 7th of February 2009 fire loss, which has yet to be assessed.
Australia Wide Floods since 1790
There were over 2,300 recorded Human fatalities.(1)
Australia Wide Tropical cyclones since 1839
There were over 2,100 recorded Human fatalities.(1)
Australia Wide Severe storms since 1824
There were over 770 recorded Human fatalities.(1)
Partially Referenced from:
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA, http://www.ema.gov.au/ Accessed 14th May 2009
Bushfire area burnt - Source: CFA website; DPI/DSE website; R.H. Luke and A.G. McArthur, Bushfires in Australia, AGPS,
1978; Reports of the 1939 and 1944 Royal Commissions; A.G. McArthur, N.P. Cheney and J. Barber, The fires of 12 February
1977 in the Western District of Victoria, CSIRO and CFA, 1982; R. Murray and K. White,
(1)
Reference. Blong, R (2005) ‘Natural hazards risk assessment - An Australian perspective’.
Issues in Risk Science 4, Benfield Hazard Research Centre, London, p. 28.
(1)
Source. 1301.0 / 2008 / Yearbook Complete / Understanding natural hazard impacts on Australia.
* Image: Pine plantation fire adjacent to Hume Highway at Wandong Victoria 2003
courtesy of " Bushfire Threat to Nillumbik Shire " David Packham Rural Fire Consultant
Source: http://www.nillumbikratepayers.asn.au/btn.htm
(2)
Source: The land of the Lyrebird, page 142, cited by Foley 1947.
(3)
Source. Foley 1947
(4)
Source: http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/ ( Linton bushfire not found in E.M.A Database accessed 20/2/2009 )
Source. Emergency Management Australia, Attorney-General’s Department. EMA disasters database. Events by category.
http://www.ema. gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf (accessed 14th May 2009).
(4a)
Source: 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2004 accessed 20/6/2009 )
Image Bushfire causes. Source: Department of Sustaimabillity and Environment. http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/
Deaths from wildfire/bushfire disasters worldwide
Year Location Deaths
1871 Peshtigo, Wisconsin, USA (5) 1200
1918 Cloquet, Minnesota, USA (6) 453
1894 Hinckley, Minnesota, USA (7) 418
1881 Thumb region, Michigan, USA (8) ~300
1916 282
Matheson, Ontario, Canada (10)
1997 Sumatra, Kalimantan, Indonesia (9) 250
1987 Greater Hinggan, China (11) 213
2009 Victoria, Australia 173
The largest bushfires in Australia.

The largest and most frequent fires in Australia occur
in the southern winter and spring – and occur in
northern Australia.
Over 98% of large bushfires occur outside the more
densely populated south-east and south-west of the
country.
The Northern Territory experiences fires annually on a
scale which dwarfs those in southern Australia. (13)
During the extreme year of 1974-1975
"over 117 million ha or 15% of the total land area of
the continent was burnt in central Australia during the
fire season. "
Africa is often referred to as the "fire continent" owing

to the regular and widespread occurrence of wildland
fires.
A recent research report by the United States National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
indicated that about 130 million hectares of savannahs
and grasslands burn annually in Africa south of the
equator, (for comparison, the country of South Africa
covers an area of 122 million hectares).
The heaviest burning is concentrated in the moist

subtropical belt which includes Angola, the southern
Congo, Zambia, northern Mozambique and southern
United Republic of Tanzania.
During the 2000 fire season, the area burned south of

the equator may have reached more than 200 million
hectares. (14)
Australian bushfire history 1997 to 2008
This composite satellite map shows where bushfires

had occurred during the years 1997 to 2008.
The red markers is the area of Australia burnt between
1997 and 2008
About 115,000 and 230,000 fires per year were

depicted by satellite remote sensing during the fire
seasons 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 (14)
[Return to Top]
Reference:
Note the fire in 1949 Landes region, France the death toll was 80.
Source: Forestry 1977 50(1):89-91; doi:10.1093/forestry/50.1.89 © 1977 by Institute of Chartered Foresters.
The 1825 Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada fires MIRAMICHI."---The following account of the loss and Lives and Property
sustained by the late conflagration at Miramichi, is extracted from an abstract published there, by order of the "Committee
appointed for the relief of the sufferers." Persons burnt, 130; drowned, 10; deaths from injury received by the fire, 20---Total,
160." http://www3.gendisasters.com/fires/4314/miramichi,-nb-fire,-oct-1825
(5)
Source: 1871 Peshtigo, Wisconsin, USA http://www.peshtigofire.info/ Accessed: 14th July 2009
(6)
Source: 1918 Cloquet, Minnesota, USA COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRES OF 1918 by Lois E.
Johnson President, Moose Lake Area Historical Society http://www.mnhs.org Accessed: 14th July 2009
(7)
Source: The Great Hinckley Fire of 1894 http://www.hinckley.govoffice2.com/ Accessed: 14th July 2009
(8)
Source: 1881 Thumb region, Michigan, USA http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=1245
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/28070/attractions_in_port_hope_michigan.html Accessed: 14th July 2009
(9)
Source: 1997 Sumatra, Kalimantan, Indonesia Death toll: >250 human due to aircraft and maritime accidents associated
with the fires. GFMC: Bush and Forest Fires in Australia www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/.../20050112_aus.htm
www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn_22/iffn22.pdf Accessed: 14th July 2009
(10)
Source: 1916 Matheson, Ontario, Canada. Natural Resources Canada. www.nrcan.gc.ca Accessed: 14th July 2009
(11)
Source: 1987 Greater Hinggan, China Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) http://www.fire.uni-
freiburg.de/ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2002/1002/20021002_cn.htm Accessed: 14th July 2009 (12) Source:
Black Saturday: the immediate impact of the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia.
The Medical Journal of Australia MJA 2009; 191 (1): 11-16 Accessed: 14th July 2009
(13)
Source: Fire in Australia's Tropical Savannas http://www.savanna.org.au/all/fire.html
(14)
Source: 2001. Global forest fire assessment 1990-2000. FRA Working Paper No. 55. www.fao.org/forestry/fo/fra/index.jsp
Source: 100 years of Australian civilian bushfire fatalities file http://www.bushfirecrc.com/research/downloads/Fatality-
Report_final_new.pdf. Accessed: 14th July 2009
Source: Report of the National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management
http://www.coagbushfireenquiry.gov.au/index.htm
file http://www.coagbushfireenquiry.gov.au/report/docs/appendix_D.doc. Accessed: 14th July 2009
Source: 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2004 file http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/home?opendocument?
utm_id=GB Accessed: 14 th July 2009
~ represents about 300
Data revised and updated 1st September 2009
The longest running Bushfires in Victoria’s fire history.

Australian Drought ( Henry Lawson 1900 )
Early Australian Settlers.
View article The Great Australian Drought
View article : Chronology of Australian Droughts 1791 - 2008
Read article about how we have changed in the past 100 years.
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Romsey Australia: Summary of Major Bush Fires in Australia Since 1851 Page 1 of 24

Romsey Climate Historical Alerts Interactive Information

Summary of major Bushfires Since 1851. Victoria Australia

Pine plantation fire adjacent to Hume Highway at Wandong Victoria *

Summary of major Bushfires Since 1851. Victoria Australia

Select an article on this page.

Select another Australian Region

Queensland Tasmania Australian Capital Territory

South Australia West Australia New South Wales

Bushfires and Wildfires in Australia

Bushfire Risk Map

"Bushfires are a natural part of ecosystem processes in Australia. However, as

6th of February, 1851 - "Black Thursday"

Read : Historical Newspaper articles about Black Thursday 1851

27 February 1865 - "Black Monday"

1 February 1898 - "Red Tuesday"

February - March 1926 - "Black Sunday"

13 January 1939 - "Black Friday"

Bushfire affected area from December 1938 to January 1939

3-4 March 1942

14 January - 14 February 1944

One of the many bushfires of 1944 occurred on the outskirts of Melbourne at

14-16 January 1962

Fires in the Dandenong Ranges and on the outskirts of Melbourne caused

21 February - 13 March 1965

A fire in the Dandenong Ranges burnt 1,920 hectares and destroyed 53

A fire at Mount Buffalo burnt for 12 days, covering an area of approximately

Widespread fires occurred across the Western District of Victoria, mostly in

28 December 1980 – 6 January 1981

including large areas of State forest.

A fire at Mt Macedon burnt 6,100 hectares including 1,864 hectares of State

16 February 1983 - "Ash Wednesday"

16th of February 1983 Southern Victoria and S.A. Bushfires

On 16 February 1983, 'Ash Wednesday', widespread, extreme fires fanned by

In SA alone, some indicative rural loss (1983) values, as reported by the SA

New Years Eve – 9 January 1998

(12,500 hectares of which is Wilderness or Remote Natural Area) and 10,000

Big Desert Fire - December 2002

An abandoned house was destroyed, as well as 400 hectares of private

Eastern Victorian (Alpine) Fires 2003

Active Bushfires in Australia 18th January 2003

Satellite image of Active Bushfires in Australia 18th January 2003

by the relevant agency (a) Australia wide, 21,241,000 ha burnt and 7

Victorian Fires 2005

The fires caused the following losses and damage:

The Great Divide Fires of 2006 - 07

Fifty-one houses, including twenty-one principle residences, and hundreds of

Satellite image of Active Bushfires in Australia 07/12/06 - 16/12/06

View Satellite Image

7 th of February. 2009 " Black Saturday "

The Victorian Bushfires that occurred on 7 February 2009 are considered to be

Fires affected at least 70 communities and 300 areas, including Marysville,

Kinglake / Whittlesea Fires

There were 414 patients who presented to hospital emergency departments as

According to the Insurance Council of Australia on 4 March 2009,

The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission was established on 16

Source: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=20350 Accessed 14th May 2009

Source: Full Day Hansard Transcript (Legislative Council, 10 March 2009)

Fires in Australia from 31-01-2009 to 9-2-2009

Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response System at NASA/GSFC

Kinglake - Marysville Bushfire Complex 5th to 10th February 2009

Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission 2009 Public Hearings

The most vulnerable 52 Towns identified as high bushfire risk areas.

Summer tourist areas