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8-21 Jan 2003 a devastating fire happened in Canberra in the ACT. 19 people were killed and there were many mire injuries. over 200 houses were destroyed this fire started in the bush in the eastern region of NSW

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Canberra Bushfires - Geoscience Australia

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Our strength lies in our people and our diversity in backgrounds. Geoscience Australia offers a variety of scientific, technical, IT and administrative roles.

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Bushfires

December 2001 there was a bushfire in Sydney NSW

The fire occurred on Christmas day.Lots of firefighters had to send there Christmas day battling the blazes instead of having fun and opening presents.Strong winds made is very difficult to control the fires. Firefighters from other parts of Australia came to help..

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2001_bushfires - Our Stories: The history of Warragamba, Silverdale & Surrounds

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The bushfires in Warragamba were part of the longest official continuous bushfire emergency in NSW taking place between December 21, 2001 and January 13, 2002 and spreading across the state. Most of these fires were caused by lightning or arsonists. The fire behaviour was unusual in many areas due to extreme dryness of fuel and variable winds.

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Black Sunday started after World War ll. Black Sunday was the top 5 most deadliest bush fires. It started as an ash storm for several weeks and then a bushfire.
Thousands of lives were lost and 18 soldiers that was in the war died too.
-Gordon  5/6E.

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The Wooroloo bushfire occurred in Perth, WA in 1997. Everyone evacuated including 150 prisoners. There were around 90 deaths
Daniel .P

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Media Statements - Prisoners evacuated from Wooroloo Prison Farm during bushfire

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Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Media Statements

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-Fire started near Grafton, on the North Coast of NSW.
- These fires spread across NSW.
- Four lives were lost during these fires,

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From: Shane Fitzsimmons
Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2014 4:29 PM
To: All Staff
Subject: Anniversaries

Afternoon All

The 1994 bush fires were a watershed moment not only for the people of NSW but for the broader firefighting community. Over a three week period, fire dominated the coast and ranges from the Queensland border in the north down to Batemans Bay in the south, as well as the more heavily populated areas of Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains and Central Coast.

Four lives were lost during these fires, 1 civilian and 3 members. A 42 year old mother died as she sought shelter in a swimming pool from fire burning in Como Jannali. Robert Page, a volunteer from Wingecarribee, died when a tree fell on the cabin of his tanker whilst patrolling and mopping up a fire in the Double Duke Forest near Grafton. Norman Anthes, a volunteer from Lithgow, died whilst felling a tree as part of mopping up the Mount Horrible fire near Lithgow. Clinton Westwood, a 17 year old volunteer with Wollondilly, died when his tanker crashed whilst responding to a fire call. Norm and Bob were killed on the same day, 4 January 1994 and Clinton on 29 January 1994. The fires also destroyed 225 homes and 800,000 hectares of bushland.

These fires, and a lengthy Coronial inquest following them, were the catalyst for forming today's modern Rural Fire Service.

It is true to say we've come a long way in the last 20 years, and we have learned a lot from these experiences. Legislation and policy improvements along with modern, purpose built appliances and equipment, training and PPE, as well as technological advancements, investments in infrastructure and the integration of specialised resources such as aircraft into fire management and response practices are all examples of such.

This was evidenced during January 2013, one of the first major fire emergencies for NSW since the recent introduction of measures such as new Fire Danger Ratings, Alerts Levels, telephone warnings and so on.

It was on this day, 7 January 2013, that we saw Catastrophic fire danger ratings across forested areas with large population centres, for the first time. More than a million telephone warnings were sent out to warn the community of the conditions, and about fires in areas such as the Shoalhaven, Yass, Cooma and days later, a large and destructive fire which destroyed more than 50 homes near Coonabarabran. Most pleasingly of course, is that there was no loss of life despite the weather and fire conditions.

Whiles times and technology have changed, there's been a constant - that is the work of our members, investing in prevention and mitigation programmes and of course, pitching in during a time of crisis to protect not only their own community, but also those further afield.

Far too many members have paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst simply seeking to serve and protect their community. Unfortunately, 67 names of RFS members appear on the Volunteer Services Memorial in the Domain in recognition of those that have lost their life in the line of duty, 21 of which have been added since the devastating fires of January 1994.

This week, Channel Seven aired an interesting look back at the fires of 1994, which you can see online at http://youtu.be/FYy5Opj6yHo. You may see some familiar faces from 20 years ago in this story which shows how far we've come.

We need to acknowledge and thank all members, both past and present, for their ongoing dedication and commitment to learning from events of the past in order to provide a safer and more professional service to the community.

Regards, Shane

Channel 7 looks at how fire fighting has evolved since the 1994 bush fires in its flashback.

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Twenty years on since the 1994 fires - Seven News Flashback

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From: Shane Fitzsimmons Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2014 4:29 PM To: All Staff Subject: Anniversaries Afternoon All The 1994 bush fires were a watershed moment not only for the people of NSW but for the broader firefighting community.

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On the 16th of February 1983 a bushfire called Ash Wednesday occurred,Ash Wednesday was one of Australia"s most deadlious bushfire and around 75 people died.

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South Gippsiland, Victoria
12 dead
1500 homes lost

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This fire occurred in Victoria in 1851. 12 people were killed and 5 million hectares burnt. It was caused by a heatwave

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Black Thursday, February 6th, 1851 is considered to be one of Australia's most important colonial paintings and one of the State Library's most valuable. It depicts a devastating bushfire that struck Victoria in February 1851. Many died in the fire, which was so fierce and far reaching that its glow could be seen by ships in Bass Strait.

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This fire happened in 1939 in Victoria, Australia. 71 people were killed. The fire burned 20,000 square Km of land and destroyed more than 1000 homes.

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Black Friday was a catastrophic bushfire that destroyed parts of Victoria on the 13th January 1939. This bushfire was one of the worst naturally formed bushfires in Australian history. About 20,000 square kilometres of land was burnt from the bushfire, with some towns completely destroyed. A total of 71 people died in this bushfire.

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13 January 1939 the Black Friday bush fire started. Over 1000 homes were burnt down and 71 lives were lost.15 people died while trying to escape from the fires. Nathan 5/6 Evans

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16th February 1983
Where in Victoria and South Australia
3,000 houses got destroyed

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The bushfire raged in 2001-2002 across Australia. Firefighters had a big battle against flames which reached to the outskirts of Sydney.

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Bushfire - Black Christmas, 2001 | Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub

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From 24 December 2001, more than 100 fires burned through parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

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Started on the 1st February 1898 in Gippsland, Victoria was Red Tuesday. The fire destroyed over 2000 buildings, 2600 square kilometers of bush land and farmland. This bush land left over 2600 people homeless.

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South-eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions in the world. It is also the part of Australia where most Australians live. Every summer, people who live in or near bush land wonder weather a fire will threaten their homes and their lives

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South-eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions in the world. It is also the part of Australia where most Australians live. Every summer, people who live in or near bush land wonder weather a fire will threaten their homes and their lives

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On 7 February 1978 dozens of bushfires spread across Eastern Tasmania. They joined together and developed into a firestorm and killed 64 people within less than an hour

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On the 7th February 1967 Hobart, Tasmania 62 people got killed, hundreds injured and 3000 homeless. 1858 buildings destroyed, 1500 vehicle perished. It started because the weather was unusually dry and warm which led to 3 very dry months which made more fuel in the bush.

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The 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires is also referred to as Black Tuesday and is the worst bushfire event in Tasmania's history. It is also one of Australia's worst bushfire events on record.

In the lead up to the 1966-1967 bushfire season, Tasmanian had an increase in vegetation growth due to a wet winter and early spring. This was then followed by the driest summer since 1885.

On the 7 of February 1967, there was approximately 110 bushfires burning in Southern Tasmania. Most of these fire burning where due to burning off on previous days, accidental causes or deliberately lit.

Later in the day temperatures hit 39 degrees and the Forest Fire Index reached a rating of 128, which in today's scale is Catastrophic.

In only 24 hours the bushfires had killed 62 people and injured a further 900 people. 1,400

homes were destroyed plus a further 1,700 other structures lost.

The bushfires also destroyed 80 bridges, 5,400km of fencing, 1,500 vehicles, killed 62,000 head of stock and burned over 264,000ha of land.

Multiple towns were threatened from north in the areas of Hamilton and Bothwell, south to Snug and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, where there was a large amount of damage to farming infrastructure.

Heavy agricultural damage also occurred around the Derwent Valley and Huon Valley areas and other bushfires destroyed public infrastructure, properties and forests east of Hobart, around Mount Wellington and many towns along the Derwent Estuary.

What is staggering about this bushfire event is most of the destruction was caused within a 5 hour period.

There is a memorial for the 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires in Snug, south of Hobart. The memorial consists of a plaque with all 62 names of the people killed, fixed to a brick chimney, as well as storyboards telling the story of the bushfires.

For the 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires simply click the link to be taken to the photo gallery.

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The 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires is also referred to as Black Tuesday and is the worst bushfire event in Tasmania's history. It is also one of Australia's worst bushfire events on record. In the lead up to the 1966-1967 bushfire season, Tasmanian had an increase in vegetation growth due to a wet winter and early spring.

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The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria were the most devastating in Australian history; 173 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.

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About Black Saturday - Country Fire Authority

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The 2009 bushfires in January and February ravaged many parts of Victoria and touched directly and indirectly many millions of people in the State, across Australia and internationally.

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The Black Saturday bushfire began on Saturday the 7th of February 2009, in Victoria. There were 400 individual bushfires burning across Victoria at the same time. A total of 173 people died in this bushfire which is the largest loss of life from such an event. This bushfire was the second most destructive natural disaster in Australian history, after Cyclone Tracey.

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The Black Saturday bushfire began on Saturday the 7th of February 2009, in Victoria. There were 400 individual bushfires burning across Victoria at the same time. A total of 173 people died in this bushfire which is the largest loss of life from such an event. This bushfire was the second most destructive natural disaster in Australian history, after Cyclone Tracey.

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Black Tuesday occurred on the February 7th 1967 in South-east of Tasmania. During the bush fire about 64 people lost their lives, 900 were injured and 7,000 people lost their homes. 

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Black Tuesday occurred on the February 7th 1967 in South-east of Tasmania. During the bush fire about 64 people lost their lives, 900 were injured and 7,000 people lost their homes. 

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-Julia

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Updated February 07, 2017 09:10:30

Half a century on from Tasmania's worst natural disaster, what have we learned from Black Tuesday?

On February 7, 1967, dozens of fires across south-east Tasmania developed into a firestorm, and within a few hours 64 people were dead, 900 injured, 7,000 homeless and tens of thousands of hectares burnt.

The spring of 1966 in Tasmania had brought with it heavy rainfall and "prolific vegetative growth" followed by "abnormally dry conditions", according to a report from the committee tasked with investigating the fire and its causes.

The summer of 1966-67 was the driest since 1885.

"By early February grasses and other vegetation had dried out and fuel inflammability reached a critical level, accentuated by the accumulation of fuel over a period of years in timbered and semi-timbered country," the report's authors wrote.

On Tuesday, February 7, the combination of high temperatures, low humidity and extremely strong north-westerly winds "made disaster inevitable", they concluded.

Why was Black Tuesday so devastating?

Gerald Crawford from the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) said the entire south-east of the state was effectively ablaze.

"You can virtually say there was fire in most places from Southport [up the east coast] to Swansea/Bicheno, inland to Ouse, Hamilton, Bothwell, Jericho, and they were all heading in a south-easterly direction with the wind that was blowing," he said.

Some of the blazes coalesced into massive fire fronts.

Sorry, this video has expired

"There was probably only about five or six major fires, the Richmond/Campania one, the ones up the Derwent Valley, and the ones down the Huon," Mr Crawford said.

"Some of the smaller fires just got bigger, some smaller ones joined up with each other, and some of the bigger ones joined up."

He said firefighting at the time lacked the sophistication of today.

"Mostly blokes out there, with wet sacks, or gum boughs or whatever they could find, they were stamping it out with their feet, you name it," Mr Crawford said.

"Some farmers may have had tanks that they put on the back of their trucks, with a pump and try and do a bit of firefighting, but in lots of cases, they were fighting a losing battle the whole time."

The strong winds blew down burning trees, blocking road access for people evacuating or trying to fight fires.

Former TFS chief fire officer John Gledhill said phone calls were impossible.

"Even links to the mainland had been lost because in those days telecommunications were carried on wires on poles, poles were the first things to burn down so as well as power, communications went," he said.

Fire-struck towns were cut off for days.

What was the cause?

Of the 110 fires, 88 were found to be deliberately lit, although the exact causes are unclear. Some were from burn-offs started in the days prior.

"It's no surprise given the lack of control that was there, anyone and everyone if they chose could light a fire and fires roamed the countryside through the summer months," Mr Gledhill said.

The report into the cause identified other issues including a high fuel load from growing use of superphosphate fertilisers at the time, a decrease in Tasmania's rabbit population, and livestock being transported by vehicles instead of walking through roadside undergrowth.

Complacency was also a factor.

"There was a lack of public appreciation of the fire danger with a consequent indifference to it ... this contributed to the severity of the losses which occurred," the report said.

"The vast majority of people had no experience of such a widespread disaster and never contemplated that such a thing could occur."

Mr Crawford said many people thought such disasters "only happened on the mainland".

"I think it was a big shock to a lot of people," he said.

"And I think that's why some people lost their lives in the fire, because they underestimated the severity and conditions."

What has changed?

The devastation wrought on Black Tuesday saw the birth of the modern fire service, with a coordinated statewide approach to bushfire management.

"Prior to 1967 there were very few firefighters outside the major metropolitan areas, training was very rudimentary, you learnt to drive the truck and operate the pump and that was about it," Mr Crawford said.

Today, career and volunteer firefighters receive specialised training in structure, vehicle and bushfire fighting and hazardous materials.

Wet sacks and gum boughs have been replaced by high-tech equipment and water-bombing helicopters.

Mr Crawford said in 1967 there was very little ability to coordinate crews.

"Radio, wireless telegraphy for vehicles was in its infancy in the fire brigades, and on that particular day with the weather conditions that we had, it didn't work in some locations," he said.

Mr Gledhill said social media, smart phones, satellites and software were now at the front line in disseminating crisis information.

"Today's fire permit system stemmed from then," he said.

Regular fire awareness information sessions are held in local communities, but authorities fear complacency and indifference may yet feed another bushfire disaster.

First posted February 06, 2017 08:19:19

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Loss and lessons from Tasmania's Black Tuesday bushfires

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Updated February 07, 2017 09:10:30 Half a century on from Tasmania's worst natural disaster, what have we learned from Black Tuesday? On February 7, 1967, dozens of fires across south-east Tasmania developed into a firestorm, and within a few hours 64 people were dead, 900 injured, 7,000 homeless and tens of thousands of hectares burnt.

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in january 1994 there were bush fires in new south wales. it first occurred after a lot of very hot weather and little rain.4 people killed 200 cattle and sheep killed. 185 homes destroyed 2 schools destroyed. nearly 10,000 firefighters ought the fire. more than 12,000 people had to leave their homes.

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On the 25th December 2001, there was a bush fire in Sydney which occurred on Christmas Day.

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Bushfire - Black Christmas, 2001 | Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub

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From 24 December 2001, more than 100 fires burned through parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

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The 2013 New South Wales bushfires were the most destructive in the Blue Mountains, the Hunter and Central Coast regions. The fire began on 16th of October 2013. It was found that Army explosives training was the first cause of the fire in Lithgow, but other fires were started by children lighting fires deliberately. Over the week, 248 buildings and many houses were destroyed. Two people died and many were injured trying to fight the fire and save their homes.

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The Ash Wednesday fire was one of the worst fires in history. The cause of this was because of branches being too near power lines and an arson (deliberately setting fire).  It was on the 16th of February 1983, located in South Australia/Victoria. Many lives were taken and the fire destroyed more than2500 homes.

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On February 16, 1983, a series of bushfires swept across South Australia and Victoria resulting in the loss of 75 lives and the destruction of more than 3,000 buildings.

Residents recall the day was part of a heatwave during a 10-month drought, with very low humidity, temperatures as high as 43C and winds reaching more than 100 kilometres per hour.

The first fire of the day was reported south of Adelaide mid-morning. Within hours, more than 180 fires had broken out across two states.

They would eventually raze 400,000 hectares - an area four times the size of metropolitan Melbourne.

"The whole hills were alight," remembers Susan Laundy, a resident of Mylor, a small community inland from Adelaide.

"Somebody said it was like Dante's Inferno; it was like getting a glimpse inside the gates of hell.

"We were up at five o'clock in the morning and you knew something bad was going to happen. There were sirens going then and by 10 o'clock we could not see anywhere around here because of the dust and you couldn't tell what was dust and what was fires."

CFS volunteer Russell Grear did most of his work that day in a helicopter, coordinating crew and making observations from the air. He says he was astounded by what he saw.

"There was one fire front that I reckon was 10 kilometres long and there wasn't a soul to be seen in relation to firefighting or anything else," he said.

"People had tried to do what they could to save their houses but it was just moving too fast."

After a wind change, which turned the long fire flank into a massive fire front, the blaze was throwing up so much dust and smoke that Mr Grear and his team were forced to land their chopper in a paddock for two hours while the fire passed.

Country Fire Authority firefighters recall the Melbourne metropolitan area being surrounded by a ring of bushfires.

Now-retired fire brigade captain Eric Bumpstead was on duty in the Dandenong Ranges when strong winds whipped up a huge fire.

"As soon as I saw the column of smoke I knew we were in trouble," he said.

The fire surged though the tinder-dry bush and into the town of Upper Beaconsfield. Then the wind changed and "it was a matter of everyone for themselves".

Crew and residents found themselves caught in a firestorm which would claim 21 lives, most of them firefighters.

"It was like a hail storm, but it wasn't hail. It was red hot coals and twigs and all [of that] was burning you.

"[You] had to turn your back to it and you were getting pelted with that. It was a devastating fire."

Bruce Medwin lost contact with his wife and daughter that day.

"I then went back [home] the next morning when it was daylight to hunt around again and I found their charred bodies huddled together," he said.

"It was very hard to deal with but I've built a new life now. I'm hopeful that other people can move on now."

'She sang nursery rhymes as she held her children in a dam'

Murray Fullerton fought the blaze in Mt Macedon where 400 homes were destroyed.

"The fire was completely around us ... the bush was alight everywhere ... we were just out there all night. It was a very long night," he said, his voice cracking with the reliving of the experience.

It was the first major fire he had dealt with, and he has spent his career ensuring the lessons of that day are never forgotten.

ABC Open's Amelda De Courtney was also on Mt Macedon that day and wrote that dangers lurked even after the fire had passed:

"Gas cylinders could explode, roots of trees burned underground. As we bucketed water over scorched plants in a friend's historic garden, someone warned that the cores of giant cypress trees nearby were smouldering and could 'go up' at any time.

"People were telling and re-telling their fire stories. Of being separated from children, of getting phone calls saying goodbye as an impossible fire front approached. One mother had sung nursery rhymes for hours as she held her children in a dam. One man was ashamed that he had cried because 'I never cry'. A silence surrounded any mention of lost pets.

"I remember feeling an irrational anger when people in Melbourne complained of ash in their swimming pool or the smell of the fires - or even spoke of anything other than the fire. Emotional security in those early days lay in the shared experience of the mountain. The 'stress caravan', staffed from a Melbourne hospital, initially closed its door about 6:00pm each evening. Someone laughed about psychologists drawing that arbitrary line. But a disaster on that scale was no doubt new to them as well."

Firefighters in East Gippsland were worn out before Ash Wednesday even started. They had been battling a huge blaze near Cann River all summer and were looking forward to some time off. The chief ranger for that area at the time, Dennis Matthews, remembers the incident controller bringing the crews together to deliver some bad news.

"With a blackboard and a piece of chalk he started to write down the locations of places affected by the run of fire west of Melbourne and around Melbourne," Mr Matthews recalled.

"And he started to write down the numbers of people killed and the numbers of houses known to be destroyed.

"In a very simple, symbolic way he explained to us why we weren't going home. At that point we just accepted that, said no more and got on with the job. It was a profound moment."

There's wide acknowledgement that the events on that day shaped bushfire management policy in the years that followed.

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On February 16, 1983, a series of bushfires swept across South Australia and Victoria resulting in the loss of 75 lives and the destruction of more than 3,000 buildings. Residents recall the day was part of a heatwave during a 10-month drought, with very low humidity, temperatures as high as 43C and winds reaching more than 100 kilometres per hour.

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The Canberra bush fire had started on January 18th 2003. The bush fire started when lightning hit Kosciuszko National Park and set fire to dried out leaves and branches. When it hit Canberra lots of people were on holiday. The fire burned for two weeks. The famous Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed during the bush fire.

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At the time this was the worst bushfire that occurred in Australia. It occurred on February. 16th when  fires swept across Victoria and South Australia, killing 75 people and causing widespread damage

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Clear skies and rising temperatures were observed on the morning of Ash Wednesday, 16 February 1983. A front (or band) of cold air was located in the Great Australian Bight off the coast of South Australia. The front caused the hot air in the centre of Australia to be drawn southwards, creating a hot, dry northerly wind over Victoria.