What was the Black Saturday bushfire?

Black Saturday bushfires raged across the state of Victoria, Australia, throughout the month of February, when this image was taken. The red squares mark active fires, burning near the Great Dividing Range and threatening the water supply of Victoria’s capital and most populous city, Melbourne.

What was the cause of the Black Saturday bushfire?

The Black Saturday fires began with the Kilmore East fire when fallen power-lines started a blaze in farmland at 11.47 am. This fire spread quickly through a pine plantation and crossed the Hume Freeway at 1.58 pm. The fire burnt through Wandong and reached Mount Disappointment at approximately 3 pm.

How did Australia react to Black Saturday?

The bushfire appeal raised more than $372 million in total. The appeal by the Australian Red Cross raised over $315 million. The Red Cross Blood Service received 6,000 offers of blood donations on the morning of 9 February alone. The Salvation Army appeal raised $17.5 million.

What was the worst fire in Australia?

The Black Saturday bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were the worst in Australia’s history, killing 173 people. Almost 80 communities and entire towns were left unrecognisable. The fires burned more than 2,000 properties and 61 businesses.

What happened after the Black Saturday bushfires?

Wildlife, pets and livestock were killed and ecosystems were adversely affected. Longer- term effects of the fires include increased rates of mental health problems, relationship breakdowns and domestic violence (Bryant et al. 2018, Parkinson 2015). Black Saturday transformed bushfire management throughout Australia.

How much land was burned in the Black Saturday fires?

450,000 hectares
One hundred and seventy-three people tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild and domesticated animals were lost and 450,000 hectares of land were burned.

How much damage did the Black Saturday bushfires?

The Black Saturday bushfires killed 173 people, 120 in the Kinglake area alone. Another 414 people were injured. More than 450,000 hectares had burned and 3,500 buildings including more than 2,000 houses destroyed. The RSPCA estimated that up to one million wild and domesticated animals died in the disaster.

How did the Marysville fire start?

In February 2014 a class action trial against electricity company SP AusNet was due to begin in the Victorian Supreme Court. It was alleged that the fire was caused by a “break in an electrical conductor on a power pole near the Murrindindi Saw Mill.” An A$300 million settlement was announced before the trial began.

How many hectares burned Black Saturday fires?

Black Saturday, 2009 173 people died (including two firefighters) 2,055 houses were destroyed and. over 400,000 hectares of land were burned.

What was the Black Saturday bushfires?

Black Saturday Bushfires. Black Saturday bushfires raged across the state of Victoria, Australia, throughout the month of February, when this image was taken. The red squares mark active fires, burning near the Great Dividing Range and threatening the water supply of Victoria’s capital and most populous city, Melbourne.

What caused the Black Saturday fires in Australia?

^ “Record payout over Australia Black Saturday fires”. BBC News (Asia). British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015. A 2009 Royal Commission found that the fire began when an electricity line failed between two poles.

What is the worst bushfire in Australian history?

The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria were the most devastating in Australian history. One hundred and seventy-three people tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild and domesticated animals were lost and 450,000 hectares of land were burned.

What time of day do bushfires occur in Australia?

The overwhelming majority of fire activity occurred between 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. Delburn fire commenced in Central Gippsland; arson suspected. Bunyip State Park blaze commenced.