[302], Due to the extremely dry conditions, some remnant areas of rainforest thatunlike most Australian vegetationhave not evolved and adapted to fire, were burnt in 20192020. [262], On 27 January 2020 a bushfire started in the Orroral Valley in the Namadgi National Park. Fire from South Eastern Victoria spreads to Bega Valley Shire, NSW, burns more than 60,000 ha. [508][509][510] On 31 January 2020, the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian announced an independent investigation to review the causes, preparation and response to the bushfires in New South Wales. Before-and-after photos show the deep wounds catastrophic fires can leave in less than a fortnight. See the report for further information on the incident. The Murrindindi fire began at 3pm and spread through the Murrindindi State Forest and Black Range. Fanned by powerful winds, the Black Friday fires (13 January 1939) swept rapidly across large areas of Victoria, causing widespread destruction. [520], Corporate organisations to make donations or pledges included the Seven Group and Kerry Stokes' private investment firm, ACE Capital Equity, a combined total of A$10million;[521] Tim Cook from Apple, an undisclosed amount;[522] the NAB and News Corp Australia, A$5million each; Coles Group, A$4million (of which A$3million was in gift cards); the Australian Football League, A$2.5million; BHP, A$2million; Westpac and Woolworths, A$1.5million each; Facebook, A$1.25million; and Amazon, the ANZ Bank, the Atlassian Foundation, the Commonwealth Bank,[g] Orica, Qantas, and Rio Tinto, A$1million each;[520] and Canva and the San Diego Zoo, A$500,000 each. The fire was ultimately brought under control several hours later, with one firefighter injured suffering a broken arm. [217], On 11 November 2019 an emergency bushfire warning was issued for Port Lincoln in the Eyre Peninsula, with an uncontrolled fire traveling towards the town. An uneven pile of four Australian coins fused together. The NSW Bushfire Inquiry report found that, while thunderstorm activity was comparable to a normal year, lightning strikes were more likely to start a fire due to hot, dry conditions. The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria caused widespread devastation and the greatest loss of life from fire since colonisation. [374][375][376] as well as advising residents in fire danger zones on their animal evacuation plans. The Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people, 120 in the Kinglake area alone. Many people heeded the warnings and evacuated. [247], In late October 2019, four bushfires were burning near Scamander, Elderslie, and Lachlan. On 19 December 2019 the Gospers Mountain fire impacted on the Darling Causeway between Mount Victoria and Bell, it later jumped the Darling Causeway and impacted the Grose Valley and the fire would be split into two fires: Grose Valley fire and Gospers Mountain fire. On the same days both the Gospers Mountain fire and the Grose Valley fire moved towards Kurrajong. The court . [244] The pyrocumulus cloud from the fires could be seen 80km (50mi) south in Albany. One of the trucks involved was Seaford 34. A fire approached the coastal town of Lakes Entrance and an emergency warning was issued for an estimated 30,000 residents and holidaymakers there and in surrounding areas. The analysis by the Bushfire CRC, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research found that the number of "very high" fire danger days generally increases 213% by 2020 for the low scenarios (global increase by 0.4C (0.72F)) and 1030% for the high scenarios (global increase by 1.0C (1.8F)). It was also the worst season on record for properties lost in Queensland. [174][175][176][177][178][179], The Dunns Road fire was believed to have been started by a lightning strike on 28 December in a private pine plantation near Adelong. More than 60,000 people are estimated to have evacuated the East Gippsland and Hume regions as a result. During, and immediately after the fire season, misinformation and false reports circulated on various commercial media outlets and social media,[447] including claims about the extent of the fires, its precedents and causes, and matters like funding of fire fighting services. [386] To increase awareness, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest tower, lit up in solidarity with Australia. [312], The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is the lead agency for bush fires in New South Wales and formed the bulk of the primary response to the fires, mobilising thousands of firefighters and several hundred firefighting vehicles. [411] The combination of heat and drought caused critical low fuel moisture content, with Victoria Country Fire Authority Response Controller Gavin Freeman stating that the "underlying dryness" of the bush has led to exceptionally high fire danger. [citation needed] On the same day, a fire broke out in the Plenty Gorge Parklands, situated in Melbourne's northern suburbs between Bundoora, Mill Park, South Morang, Greensborough and Plenty. Geoffrey Cary, David Lindenmayer and Stephen Dovers, Australia Burning: Fire Ecology, Policy and Management Issues, CSIRO Publishing, Canberra, 2003. 16 January 2023. That day the air quality in the capital was the worst of any city in the world, at around 23 times the threshold to be considered hazardous. [322] On 4 January 2020, it announced that it would lease four waterbombing planes including two long-range DC-10s and two medium-range for use by state and territory governments. [438] Experts suggested that prescribed burning has been more difficult to achieve given recent trends towards warmer and dryer conditions. [235] On 12 December, temperatures in excess of 40C (104F) exacerbated the fire, and the emergency warning area doubled including parts of Guilderton and Brenton Bay further north. Released to mark the Anniversary of the 2019/20 summer bushfires which impacted communities across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, Western Australia and South Australia. On 12 November 2019 catastrophic fire danger was declared in the Greater Sydney region for the first time since the introduction of this level in 2009 and a total fire ban was in place for seven regions of New South Wales, including Greater Sydney. Over the following days as the fire continued to progress to the south east, both Yerrinbool and Hill Top were threatened by the fire. [43], On 4 January 2020, following a meeting of the National Security Committee, the Morrison Government announced a compulsory call-out of Army Reserve brigades to deploy up to 3,000 reserve personnel full-time to assist with in the Operation. [241][242], Between 26 December 2019 and 1 January 2020, as a result of a lightning strike,[243] a fire tore through 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of land in Stirling Range National Park in the southwest of the state, burning more than half of the park. [519] Footballer Mathew Ryan, goalkeeper for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Australia national team announced he'll donate $500 for every registered save by an English Premier League goalkeeper on the weekend of 1112 January 2020. Kristy McBain, the Bega Valley shire council mayor, said more than 400 properties and homes had been lost after 34 days of fire activity in the area. Recent projections of fire weather (Lucas, et al., 2007)[8] suggest that fire seasons will start earlier, end slightly later, and generally be more intense. The warning was based on the Northern Australia bushfire seasonal outlook noting exceptional dry conditions and a lack of soil moisture, combined with early fires in central Queensland. Recent rainfall also contributed to the Omeo, Anglers Rest, Cobungra, Bindi, Hotham Heights, Glen Valley, Benambra, Swifts Creek, Omeo, Ensay, Tongio, the Blue Rag Range, Dargo and Tabberabbera bushfires all being contained. "It is also relevant for people affected by more recent events such as the Black Summer and Western Australia fires. 81% of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area burned. . Thursday 6 February 1851, the day which would become known as 'Black Thursday', was the hottest day the European settlers could remember. Fanned by near catastrophic conditions, the fire grew considerably on 8 November 2019 and consumed nearly everything in its path. As the remaining fires are brought under control, the focus now turns to how to support recovery efforts in affected communities. [542][543] It prompted some organisations to provide a list of approved and vetted charities online to reduce fraud. [227], Another emergency warning was issued on 3 January for a fire near Kersbrook. The opposite side of the pile has a bright green discolouring. [479], Further controversy surrounded prime minister Scott Morrison for taking an overseas family holiday to Hawaii, United States, during the bushfires. These temperatures combined with extremely low levels of humidity to create tinder-dry conditions in the Victorian bush. The commission investigated all aspects of the governments bushfire strategy and included among its 67 recommendations that the Victorian Government revise its advice around preparation for bushfires along with its bushfire education policies, and that it modify building codes, including banning the construction of homes in high-risk areas. Fires spread and engulf the East Gippsland, VIC and surrounds destroying 780 ha. The fire had burnt more than 258,000 hectares (640,000 acres) and was out of control. [56][57] An estimated A$500million was donated by the public at large, international organisations, public figures and celebrities for victim relief and wildlife recovery. As Australia became more urbanised, the fringes of cities encroached farther into the bush and it is here in the frontier zone between bush and city that bushfires do much of their damage. [187] A number of high country huts, including Wolgal Hut and Pattinsons Hut near Kiandra, were also feared to have been destroyed. [271], The Northern Territory went through a relatively average annual bushfire season with respect to area of land burnt, in comparison to the scale of bushfires witnessed in other areas of Australia. By the time widespread rain fell in VIC on 20 and 22 January, bushfires had burnt more than 1.5 million ha, mainly in the states east and north-east. Additional local firefighting resources were also used from agencies such as Air Services Australia and Sydney Trains. Firetrucks overrun by fire, and two firefighters killed. [226] volunteers from around the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges areas responded to the unfolding incident; this resulted in a number of fire trucks being overrun by the fast moving fire. Due to the extreme isolation of the area and rugged inaccessible terrain, firefighters struggled to contain the fires as they began to spread through the dense bushland. [214], On 13 November a water bombing helicopter crashed while fighting the blazes threatening the small community of Pechey. For December, record warmth across Australia had been accompanied by record low rainfall over eastern Australia. Smaller, isolated remnant pockets of rainforest were totally destroyed and unlikely to recover, leading to local extinctions of rainforest flora and fauna. At 11:07am ACDT the fire was burning under catastrophic weather conditions and an emergency warning was issued for Hillier, Munno Para Downs, Kudla, Munno Para West and Angle Vale. [404], Conversely, scientific experts have asserted the influence of climate change, drought, prolonged fire weather, and contextualised the limited role of prescribed burning and arson in influencing the crisis. This incident was included in theMajor Incidents Report 2019-20(AIDR 2020). [269] As the Orroral Valley Fire burned out of control, many instances of disaster tourism were reported from suburban south Tuggeranong, with people driving to the suburbs to see the fire and take photographs; in turn blocking traffic. The fire destroyed numerous houses and buildings in this area, and then jumped the Bells Line of Road into the Grose Valley.[139]. [507] On 14 January 2020, the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced an independent investigation into the 20192020 bushfire season in Victoria. From 1788 those fire practices began to change. Before the fires, there were fewer than 500 Kangaroo Island dunnarts and about 380 Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoos. Much of the vegetation in Australia has evolved to survive, thrive in and even promote frequent exposure to fire. [502] The final report was published on 30 October 2020, and contained 80 recommendations across 21 topics. Over 430,000 hectares burned, including 70 national parks and reserves and more than 3,550 agricultural facilities. Assessments were completed on foot and by drone, helicopter, boat and trail bike by more than 70 RFS staff and 15 volunteers, assisted by numerous other agency personnel. Fire in Lane Cove National Park, NSW. Most recently, we have been focusing on assessing and restoring mangrove forests destroyed by the Black Summer bushfires . The fire was then blown towards Humevale and Kinglake. [91][118] Between July 2019 and 13 February 2020, the NSW Rural Fire Service reported that 11,264 bush or grass fires burnt 5.4million hectares (13million acres), destroyed 2,439 homes, and approximately 24 megalitres (5.3million imperial gallons; 6.3million US gallons) of fire retardant was used. [43], On 31 December 2019, the Defence Minister announced the ADF would provide assistance to East Gippsland, in particular the isolated high-fire-risk town of Mallacoota, deploying helicopters including a CH-47 Chinook and C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft to be based at RAAF Base East Sale and two naval vessels, HMASChoules and MVSycamore, with the vessels also able to assist in south-east New South Wales if required. Several thousand people were isolated in the town and more than 60 homes were destroyed. "[432], The NSW Bushfire Inquiry into the causes of the fires published their findings in July 2020. Storm activity increased during the day, with the VIC State Emergency Service (SES) receiving 2,042 requests for assistance, primarily for fallen trees and building damage. Early in the morning on New Years Eve, the Banana Track fire reached the coastal town of Mallacoota in the states far east. The 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire disaster in southeast Australia was unprecedented: the extensive area of forest burnt, the radiative power of the fires, and the extraordinary number of fires . 21 January 2020 "When we look to the future we see southeast Australia could continue to become drier in winter and experience more frequent weather fronts in summer that cause dangerous fire weather," says.