Global Information Lookup Global Information

Ash Wednesday bushfires information


Ash Wednesday bushfires
Aftermath of the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires at Mount Macedon
Date(s)16 February 1983
LocationAustralia:
Victoria and South Australia
Statistics
Burned area2,080 km2 (513,979 acres) in South Australia and 9,954 square kilometres (2.46 million acres) in Victoria on one day; 5,200 square kilometres (1.28 million acres) burnt throughout the 1982/83 season[1][2]
Land useUrban/rural fringe areas, farmland and forest reserve
Impacts
Deaths75
(47 – Victoria)
(28 – South Australia)
Non-fatal injuries2,676[1]
Ignition
CauseFaulty powerlines, arson, and negligence after years of extreme drought 3,700 homes and buildings lost

The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II,[3] were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983 on 16 February, the Christian holy day Ash Wednesday. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by hot winds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia.[4] Years of severe drought and extreme weather combined to create one of Australia's worst fire days in a century.[5] The fires were the deadliest bushfire in Australian history until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

75 people died as a result of the fires; 47 in Victoria, and 28 in South Australia. This included 14 Country Fire Authority and three Country Fire Service volunteer firefighters.[6][7] Many fatalities were as a result of firestorm conditions caused by a sudden and violent wind change in the evening which rapidly changed the direction and size of the fire front.[8][9] The speed and ferocity of the flames, aided by abundant fuels and a landscape immersed in smoke, made fire suppression and containment impossible.[10] In many cases, residents fended for themselves as fires broke communications, cut off escape routes and severed electricity and water supplies.[11] Up to 8,000 people were evacuated in Victoria at the height of the crisis and a state of disaster was declared for the first time in South Australia's history.[6][8]

A 2001 report found Ash Wednesday to be one of Australia's worst fires.[12] More than 3,700 buildings were destroyed or damaged and 2,545 individuals and families lost their homes. Livestock losses were very high, with more than 340,000 sheep, 18,000 cattle and numerous native animals either dead or later destroyed.[13] A total of 4,540 insurance claims were paid totalling A$176 million with a total estimated cost of well over A$400 million (1983 values) for both states, equivalent to A$1.3 billion in 2007.[1][14] The emergency saw the largest number of volunteers called to duty from across Australia at the same time—an estimated 130,000 firefighters, defence force personnel, relief workers and support crews.[15]

  1. ^ a b c "Southern Victoria and S.A: Bushfires". E.M.A Disasters Database. Emergency Management Australia, Australian Government. 13 September 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference dse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ CFS :: Bushfire History Archived 29 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "About Ash Wednesday". Country Fire Authority Victoria, Australia. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  5. ^ Bureau of Meteorology. "Climate Education: Ash Wednesday, February 1983". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  6. ^ a b Collins, Paul (2006). Burn: The Epic Story of Bushfire in Australia. Sydney: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1-74175-053-9.
  7. ^ "Memorials to Firefighters: Remembering Our Fallen". South Australian CFA Promotions Unit. Country Fire Service. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  8. ^ a b Murray, Robert; Kate White (1995). State of Fire: A History of Volunteer Firefighting and the Country Fire Authority in Victoria. Melbourne, Australia: Hargreen Publishing Company. ISBN 0-949905-63-1.
  9. ^ Webster, Joan (2000). The Complete Bushfire Safety Book. Sydney, Australia: Random House Australia. ISBN 1-74051-034-8.
  10. ^ Miller, S.I (1984). Report of the Bushfire Review Committee: On Bushfire Disaster Preparedness and Response in Victoria, Australia Following The Ash Wednesday Fires 16 February 1983. Melbourne, Australia: State Government of Victoria. pp. 23–24.
  11. ^ Smith, Stewart (2002). "Bushfires. Briefing Paper No. 5/02" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Research Library Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  12. ^ "Economic Costs of Natural Disasters in Australia. (Report 103)" (PDF). Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics, Australian Government. 2 January 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2008.
  13. ^ "Hazards, Disasters, and Your Community" (PDF). Emergency Management Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
  14. ^ "Insurance Council Catastrophe Information". Insurance Council of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  15. ^ "CFS Media Release: Ash Wednesday Memorial". CFS Public Affairs. 15 February 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2008.[dead link]

and 24 Related for: Ash Wednesday bushfires information

Request time (Page generated in 0.8392 seconds.)

Ash Wednesday bushfires

Last Update:

The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983...

Word Count : 3468

1980 Ash Wednesday bushfires

Last Update:

The first Ash Wednesday fires were a series of bushfires that began in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, on Ash Wednesday, 20 February 1980. 51 homes...

Word Count : 157

Black Friday bushfires

Last Update:

third-deadliest bushfire event in Australian history, only behind the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Fires burned almost...

Word Count : 2663

Aireys Inlet

Last Update:

to Anglesea. Aireys Inlet was devastated by the infamous 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in which a large number of houses were burnt down. However, after...

Word Count : 809

List of major bushfires in Australia

Last Update:

of major bushfires in Australia. The list contains individual bushfires and bushfire seasons that have resulted in fatalities, or bushfires that have...

Word Count : 2547

1983 Melbourne dust storm

Last Update:

Australian history and is, in hindsight, viewed as a precursor to the Ash Wednesday bushfires which were to occur eight days later. In late 1982 and early 1983...

Word Count : 492

1983

Last Update:

February 16 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 75 people, in one of Australia's worst bushfire disasters. February...

Word Count : 3159

Bushfires in Australia

Last Update:

1851 Black Thursday bushfires, the 2006 December bushfires, the 1974–75 fires that burnt 15% of Australia, and the 2019–20 bushfires. It is estimated that...

Word Count : 10719

Country Fire Authority

Last Update:

bushfires, as well as 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and 2019–20 south-east Australian bushfires. CFA brigades have also supported...

Word Count : 3824

Black Saturday bushfires

Last Update:

The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around...

Word Count : 13301

Mount Macedon Memorial Cross

Last Update:

became for many a symbol of courage and survival after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. The war dead are commemorated at a dawn service held at the base...

Word Count : 666

Great Ocean Road

Last Update:

rebuilt in 1973, and again in 1983, after being destroyed in the Ash Wednesday bushfires. In 1962, the road was deemed by the Tourist Development Authority...

Word Count : 2870

List of fires

Last Update:

fatalities including 5 firefighters killed on August 10 1983 – Ash Wednesday bushfires killed 75 people and injured more than 2600 others in South Australia...

Word Count : 1414

Dandenong Ranges

Last Update:

highly prone to bushfires, the most recent of which have been the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, the 1997 Dandenong Ranges bushfires and small fires during...

Word Count : 1876

Mount Lofty

Last Update:

located there. These were all destroyed or severely damaged by the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, but have subsequently been restored. They include: Mt...

Word Count : 1353

Dead man zone

Last Update:

Country Fire Service and Country Fire Authority in Australia. Ash Wednesday bushfires Bushfires in Australia Country Fire Authority (Victoria, Australia)...

Word Count : 600

List of natural disasters in Australia

Last Update:

disasters in Australia by death toll Bushfires in Australia List of major bushfires in Australia List of Australian bushfire seasons Floods in Australia List...

Word Count : 1808

Forests Commission Victoria

Last Update:

obliterated. Only the Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia in the summer of 1983 and the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 have resulted...

Word Count : 21573

1983 Australian federal election

Last Update:

consensus, using the slogan "Bringing Australia Together". The Ash Wednesday bushfires that devastated areas of Victoria and South Australia on 16 February...

Word Count : 1198

List of wildfires

Last Update:

burnt. 1974-75 Australian bushfire season (Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia) Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 (Victoria and...

Word Count : 3252

Firestorm

Last Update:

(1940) Ash Wednesday bushfires (1983) Yellowstone fires (1988) Canberra bushfires (2003) Okanagan Mountain Park Fire (2003) Black Saturday bushfires (2009)...

Word Count : 6945

February 16

Last Update:

bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago). 1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75. 1985 – Hezbollah is founded...

Word Count : 4996

The Pole House

Last Update:

and completed it in 1978. The house fell partial victim to the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983, which caused the rear of the building to be rebuilt a...

Word Count : 587

1967 Tasmanian fires

Last Update:

Friday bushfires in Victoria (where the loss of 72 lives was nevertheless spread over several days) and the subsequent 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria...

Word Count : 965

PDF Search Engine © AllGlobal.net