2019–20 Australian bushfire season

2019–20 Australian bushfire season
European Space Agency imagery of smoke haze from the bushfires. The haze has reached both Sydney and Brisbane (labelled) as well as Melbourne, to the south.
Date(s)	August 2019 – present
Location	Australia (nationwide)
Statistics
Burned area	Over 5,900,000 hectares (15,000,000 acres; 59,000 km2; 23,000 sq mi)
Impacts
Deaths	At least 22
Structures destroyed	Over 2,500
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The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season is an ongoing bushfire event in Australia that has burned an estimated 5.9 million hectares (15 million acres), destroyed over 2,500 buildings (including over 1,300 houses) and killed at least 19 people with a further 28 missing in the state of Victoria alone. From November 2019, it heavily impacted various regions of the state of New South Wales, such as, the North Coast, Mid North Coast, the Hunter Region, the Hawkesbury and the Wollondilly in Sydney's far west, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and the South Coast, with more than 100 fires burnt across the state.

In Eastern Victoria large areas of forest burnt out of control for four weeks before the fires emerged from the forests in late December, taking lives, threatening many towns and isolating Corryong and Mallacoota. A State of Disaster was declared for East Gippsland. Moderately affected areas were South Eastern Queensland, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and southwestern Western Australia, with a few areas in Tasmania and the ACT being mildly impacted. Regarded as one of the worst bushfire seasons in memory, the fires had burned through more land than any other blazes in the past 25 years.

In December 2019, the state government declared a state of emergency in New South Wales after record-breaking temperatures and prolonged drought, exacerbated the bushfires. The political ramifications of the fire season have been significant. A decision by the New South Wales Government to cut funding to fire services based on budget estimates, as well as a holiday taken by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, during a period in which two volunteer firefighters died, and his perceived apathy towards the situation, resulted in controversy. As temperatures were forecast to reach 41 °C (106 °F), the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian called a fresh seven-day state of emergency with effect from 9am on 3 January 2020.

Reinforcements from all over Australia were called in to assist fighting the fires and relieve exhausted local crews in New South Wales. On 11 November it was reported that the Country Fire Authority (CFA) was sending in a large contingent of up to 300 firefighters and support staff from Victoria. More than 100 firefighters had been sent from Western Australia as of 14 November 2019. Contingents were also sent from South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. On 12 November the Federal government announced that the Australian Defence Force was providing air support to the firefighting effort, as well as preparing to provide manpower and logistical support. Firefighters from New Zealand, the United States and Canada helped fight the fires, especially in New South Wales.

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, including Greater Sydney. The Illawarra and Greater Hunter areas also experienced catastrophic fire dangers and other parts of the state, including the already fire ravaged parts of northern New South Wales. As of 1 January 2020, 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) has been burnt or is burning in New South Wales.

Overview

Since the start of the season, the ongoing bushfires destroyed 1,298 homes, as well as 48 facilities and more than 2,000 outbuildings in New South Wales alone. Fifteen people are confirmed to have been killed in New South Wales since October. The latest fatality was reported on 1 January 2020 following the discovery of a man's body in a car in Yatte Yattah. It has been estimated that close to half a billion animals have been killed in the ongoing fires.

New South Wales experienced the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in Australia's history, having burned more than four million hectares (9.9 million acres), with 70-metre (230 ft) high flames being reported. In comparison, the 2018 California wildfires consumed 766,439 hectares (1,893,913 acres) and the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires burnt 900,000 hectares (2,200,000 acres) of land.

State	Deaths	Missing	Homes lost	Area		Notes
				ha	acres
New South Wales	15	N/A	1,365+	3,600,000	8,895,794
Queensland	0	0	45	250,000	617,763
South Australia	2	0	90	60,000	148,263
Tasmania	0	0	1	9,500	23,475
Victoria	2	28+	81+	784,000	1,937,306
Western Australia	0	0	1	1,200,000	2,965,265
Total	19	28+	1,516	5,919,500	14,627,403

Regions affected

New South Wales

North Coast

File:AwabaFire2019.jpg

Smoke caused from a fire in Awaba

On 6 September, the northern parts of the state experienced extreme fire dangers. Fires included the Long Gully Road Fire near Drake which burnt until the end of October, killing two people and destroying 43 homes. The Mount McKenzie Road Fire also burnt across the southern outskirts of Tenterfield, and severely injured one person, destroyed one home and badly damaged four homes. Also, the Bees Nest Fire near Ebor which burnt until 12 November and destroyed seven homes.

Mid North Coast

At Hillville, a blaze grew large due to hot and windy conditions, resulting in disorder in the nearby town of Taree, to the north. Buses were called in early to take students home before the fire threat became too dangerous. On 9 November, the fire reached Old Bar and Wallabi Point, threatening many properties. The following two days saw the fire reach Tinonee and Taree South, threatening the Taree Service Centre. Water bombers dropped water on the facility to protect it. The fire briefly turned in the direction of Nabiac before wind pushed it towards Failford. Other communities affected included Rainbow Flat, Khappinghat, Kooringhat and Purfleet. A spot fire jumped into Ericsson Lane, threatening businesses. It ultimately burnt 31,268 hectares (77,260 acres).

At Dingo Tops National Park, a small fire turned into a massive bushfire emergency as it impacted the small village of Bobin; numerous homes and the Bobin Public School were destroyed in the fire. Fourteen homes were lost on one street in Bobin. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service sent out alerts to people in Killabakh, Upper Lansdowne, Kippaxs, Elands, and Marlee to monitor conditions.

Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury

A large fire in November at Gospers Mountain in the Wollemi National Park had burnt over 496,976 ha (1,228,050 acres) and threatened homes in the Hawkesbury and Lithgow areas. The fire was projected to burn towards the Central Coast and potentially threaten properties in Wisemans Ferry and other townships.

On 14 December, firefighters commenced a large backburn in the Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine area, in an attempt to protect the Blue Mountains from the Gospers Mountain bushfire. Due to heavy fuel loads and erratic weather conditions, the backburn quickly grew out of control, threatening houses in Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine. The fire eventually jumped Mt Irvine road and on 15 December under deteriorating conditions, the fire impacted Mt Tomah, Berambing and Bilpin. The fire destroyed numerous houses and buildings in this area, and then jumped the Bells Line of Road into the Grose Valley. On the western flank of the fire, the Jenolan Caves and areas east of Oberon also came under threat.

The Gospers Mountain Fire impacted on the Blue Mountains towns of Mount Wilson, Mount Tomah, on an extreme day. On 19 December, the 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 2 fires: Grose Valley Fire and Gospers Mountain Fire, the Grose Valley Fire on 21 December on a catastrophic day, Mount Victoria and Blackheath was impacted as well as Bell, Clarence, Dargan and Bilpin were impacted destroyed dozens of homes, both Gospers Mountain Fire and the Grose Valley fire moved towards Kurrajong, back burning operations were put in place to save Kurrajong and surrounds and to save all Blue Mountains towns from Katoomba to Winmalee.

By 15 December, the Gospers Mountain fire had grown to 350,000 hectares, making it the biggest forest fire in Australian history. As of 27 December, the Gospers Mountain Fire has burnt over 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres).

Metropolitan Sydney

Firefighters work to save a burning house from an out of control bushfire in South West Sydney

Fire crews move in to protect properties from an out of control bushfire in South West Sydney

On 12 November, under Sydney's first ever catastrophic fire conditions, a fire broke out in the Lane Cove National Park south of Turramurra. Under strong winds and extreme heat the fire spread rapidly, growing out of control and impacting the suburban interface across South Turramurra. One house caught alight in Lyon Avenue, but was saved by quick responding firefighters. As further crews arrived and worked to protect properties, a C-130 Air Tanker made several fire retardant drops directly over firefighters and houses, saving the rest of the suburb. The fire was ultimately brought under control several hours later, with one firefighter injured suffering a broken arm.

On 31 December, a grass fire broke out in the sloped woodlands of Prospect Hill (near Greystanes), in Greater Western Sydney, where it headed north towards Pemulwuy along the Prospect Highway. About 10 hectares (25 acres) in size and burning a number of historic Monterey pine trees, the fire impacted a large industrial area and threatened numerous properties before being brought under control by about 9 pm.

Due to safety concerns and significant public pressure, New Years Eve fireworks displays were cancelled across New South Wales including highly popular events at Campbelltown, Liverpool, Parramatta, and across the Northern Beaches, and as well in the nation's capital of Canberra. The Sydney City fireworks display was allowed to continue with a special exemption from fire authorities, despite protests. Despite warnings from authorities, numerous fires were sparked across Sydney as a result of illegal fireworks, including a blaze which threatened properties at Cecil Hills in Sydney's South West.

In early December, fire impacted the suburbs of Nattai and Oakdale southwest of Sydney, followed by Orangeville and Werombi, threatening hundreds of houses and resulting in the destruction of one building. The fire continued to spread throughout the night and into 6 December, when the fire jumped Silverdale Road and impacted Eastview Drive, Orangeville and McLeay Road, Werombi, destroying an additional two buildings. The fire continued to flare up sporadically, coming out of the dense bush and threatening properties in Oakdale and Buxton on 14 and 15 December.

Because of the bushfires occurring in the surrounding regions, the Sydney metropolitan area suffered from dangerous smoky haze for several days throughout December, with the air quality being 11 times the hazardous level in some days, even making it worse than New Delhi's, where it was also compared to "smoking 32 cigarettes" by Associate Professor Brian Oliver, a respiratory diseases scientist at the University of Technology Sydney.

Southern Highlands

In late October, a number of fires started in remote bushland near Lake Burragorang in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park south west of Sydney. 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. These multiple fires ultimately all merged together to become the 'Green Wattle Creek Fire'. The fire continued to grow in size and intensity, burning towards the township of Yerranderie. Firefighters undertook backburning around the town whilst helicopters and fixed wing aircraft worked to control the spread of the fire. The fire passed Yerranderie but continued to burn through the National Park towards South Western Sydney. On 5 December under severe weather conditions, the fire jumped the Lake Burragorang and began burning towards populated areas within the Wollondilly area.

Large out of control bushfire approaches the New South Wales township of Yanderra

On 19 December, under extreme conditions, the fire moved south east towards the populated areas of the Southern Highlands and impacted the townships of Balmoral, Buxton, Bargo, Couridjah and Tahmoor. Substantial property losses occurred across these areas, in particular along Wilson Drive, West Parade and Remembrance Driveway. Multiple fire trucks were overrun by fire, with several firefighters having to be taken to hospital and two airlifted in critical condition. Later that night, two firefighters were killed when a tree fell onto the road and their tanker rolled, injuring three other crew members. The situation deteriorated on 21 December when the fire changed direction and attacked Balmoral and Buxton once more from the opposite side, with major property losses in both areas. The fire then continued east towards the Hume Highway (resulting in its closure for several hours), impacting the township of Yanderra. Over the following days as the fire continued to progress to the south east, both Yerrinbool and Hill Top were threatened by the fire.

As well as expanding to the south and east, the fire also spread in a westerly direction, headed towards Oberon. The Oberon Correctional Centre was evacuated in anticipation of the advancing fire impact along its western flank. On 2 January, the fire hit the popular and historic Jenolan Caves area, destroying multiple buildings including the local fire station. The centrepiece of the precinct, Jenolan Caves House, was saved.

South Coast

On 30 December weather conditions drastically deteriorated across the south eastern areas of the state, with major fires breaking out and escalating in the Dampier State Forest, Deua River Valley, Badja, Bemboka, Wyndham, Talmalolma and Ellerslie, hampering firefighters already stretched by the Currowan, Palerang and Clyde Mountain fires. As temperatures were forecast to reach 41 °C (106 °F) on the South Coast, Premier Berejiklian declared a seven-day State of Emergency on 2 January 2020 with effect from 9am on the following day, including an unprecedented "tourist leave zone" for 14,000 square kilometres (5,400 sq mi) for Nowra and the edge of Victoria's northern border.

A blaze on the South Coast started off at Currowan and travelled up to the coastline after jumping across the Princes Highway, threatening properties around Termeil. Residents in Bawley Point, Kioloa, Depot Peach, Pebbly Beach, North Durras and Pretty Beach were told to either evacuate to Batemans Bay or Ulladulla or stay to protect their property. One home was lost. As of 2 January 2020, the Currowan fire was burning between Batemans Bay in the south, Nowra in the north, and east of Braidwood in the west. The fire had burnt more than 258,000 hectares (640,000 acres) and was out of control. The Currowan fire had merged with the Tianjara fire in the Morton National Park to the south west of Nowra; and the Charleys Forest fire had grown along the fire's western flank; and on the fire's southern flank, the fire had merged with the Clyde Mountain fire.

The Clyde Mountain fire impacted Batemans Bay on New Years Eve causing the local Bunnings Warehouse to “explode”. Residents were forced to flee to the beach to try and survive. By 2 January, the Currowan and Clyde Mountain fires had merged and over 68,000 hectares (170,000 acres) had been burnt. The merged fire was burning on the southern side of the Kings Highway, in the Buckenbowra and Runnyford areas. The fire had crossed the Princes Highway near Mogo; and the highway was closed between Batemans Bay and Moruya.

At nearby Lake Conjola, numerous homes were lost as the embers jumped across the lake, landing in gutters and lighting up houses. On one street there were only four houses still standing. As of 1 January 2020, at least two people died and a woman was missing.

As of 2 January 2020, in the Bega Valley Shire, the Border fire that started in Victoria, was burning north into New South Wales in the Yambulla State Forest. The fire had burnt more than 200 hectares (490 acres) and was out of control.

Riverina

On 30 December, the Green Valley fire burning east of Albury near Talmalmo (which had started the day prior) developed into an unprecedented fire event as a result of extreme local conditions. The smoke plume rose to an estimated 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) and developed a pyro-cumulonimbus cloud, becoming a firestorm. The result was extreme, the wind was described by crews on the ground as in excess of 100 km/h (62 mph) (yet to be officially verified), with spot fires starting over 5 km (3.1 mi) ahead of the main fire front. Firefighters described what they believed to be a tornado generated by the fire storm, which began flattening trees and flipped a small fire vehicle. The tornado then impacted a crew of firefighters working to protect a property, flipping their tanker over and trapping the crew inside, who were then overrun by fire. One firefighter was killed with multiple others injured, with one airlifted to Melbourne and two to Sydney.

In the Snowy Valleys local government area, on 2 January 2020 the Dunns Road fire was burning south of the Snowy Mountains Highway in the Ellerslie Range near Kunama. Over 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) had been burnt and the fire was out of control. The Rural Fire Service issued an evacuation order to residents in the Batlow and Wondalga areas. Residents and visitors to the Kosciuszko National Park were evacuated and access to the national park was closed. 155 inmates from the Mannus Correctional Centre near Tumbarumba were evacuated.

Victoria

On 21 November, lightning strikes ignited a series of fires in East Gippsland, initially endangering the communities of Buchan, Buchan South and Sunny Point. On the night of 20 December, the Marthavale-Barmouth Spur expanded, greatly endangering the community of Tambo Crossing.

The first day of two day cricket tour match between a Victoria XI and New Zealand in Melbourne, was called off due to extreme heat conditions.

On 30 December, there were three active fires in East Gippsland on Sunday with a combined area of more than 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres). An evacuation warning was issued for the East Gippsland town of Goongerah, which is surrounded by high-value old growth forests.

Fires reached the town of Mallacoota by around 9:00 AEDT. As of 11:00 AEDT 31 December 2019, fires began to approach the vacation town of Lakes Entrance. Despite evacuation of large portions of East Gippsland being recommended, approximately 30,000 holiday makers chose to remain in the region. Approximately 4,000 people, including 3000 tourists, remained in Mallacoota as the fire began making its closest approach to the town, cutting off roads in the process; Mallacoota had not been issued with an evacuation warning on 29 December.

On 2 January at 11 p.m. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared a state of disaster under the provisions of the Victorian Emergency Management Act for East Gippsland shire, Mansfield shire, Wellington shire, Wangaratta rural shire, Towong shire, Alpine shire, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Mount Stirling Alpine resorts. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp stated that 780,000 hectares had burnt including 100,000 hectares near Corryong in the state's north-east and that 50 fires were burning.

On 3 January, evacuation of around 1,000 people from Mallacoota commenced on naval vessel HMAS Choules.

On 3 January, Premier Daniel Andrews said 28 people were unaccounted for and two people confirmed dead from the East Gippsland fires.

Queensland

File:Firefighters - NSW Bushfires 2019.jpg

NSW RFS Firefighters having a break

On 7 September multiple out of control blazes threatened townships across South Eastern and Northern Queensland, destroying 11 houses Beechmont, 7 houses at Stanthorpe and 1 house at Mareeba.

On 8 September 2019, the heritage listed lodge and cabins at the iconic Australian nature-based Binna Burra Lodge were destroyed in the bushfire that consumed residential houses in Beechmont the previous day.

On 9 September, a large fire impacted the Peregian Beach area on the Sunshine Coast, severely damaging 10 houses.

On 9 November, due to deteriorating fire conditions and fires threatening homes across the state, a State of Fire Emergency was Declared across 42 Local Government areas across Southern, Central, Northern and Far Northern Queensland.

On 11 November, a fire started in the Ravensbourne area near Toowoomba, which burnt through over 20,000 ha (49,000 acres) of bush across several days, destroying 6 houses.

On 13 November, a water bombing helicopter crashed while fighting the blazes threatening the small community of Pechey. While the Bell 214 helicopter was completely destroyed, the pilot walked away with minor injuries.

On 23 November, the state of fire emergency was revoked and extended fire bans were put in place in local government areas that were previously affected under this declaration.

On 6 December, A house fire broke out in the suburb of Bundamba and quickly spread to nearby bushland and was placed under a Watch and Act alert by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services that afternoon. The next day on 7 December, after worsening conditions, the fire was upgraded to an Emergency warning and was began to threaten homes in the local community. The fire destroyed a shipping container filled with fireworks, and residents within the 3km squared exclusion zone were ordered to evacuate. One home was reported lost in this blaze.

In December 2019, Perigian Springs and the surrounding areas came under threat by bushfires for the second time in a couple of months. No homes were confirmed lost in this bushfire.

South Australia

On 11 November 2019 ABC News reported that an emergency bushfire warning was issued for people in Port Lincoln in the Lower Eyre Peninsula, with an uncontrolled fire traveling towards the township. The South Australian Country Fire Service ordered ten water bombers to the area to assist 26 ground crews at the scene. SA Power Networks disconnected power to the township.

A large fire broke out on Yorke Peninsula on 20 November 2019 and threatened the towns of Yorketown and Edithburgh. It destroyed at least 11 homes and burnt approximately 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres). The fire was believed to have started from a sparking electrical transformer. A Boeing 737 water bombing aircraft from New South Wales in addition to South Australian Air Tractor AT-802s were used to protect the town of Edithburgh.

On 20 December serious fires took hold in the Adelaide Hills, and near Cudlee Creek in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Initial south-easterly winds put the towns of Lobethal and Lenswood in the line of the fire, and by the next morning the winds had changed to north-north-west, threatening other towns. On the first day the fires killed one person, more than 70 houses were destroyed, as well as over 400 outbuildings and 200 cars. Fires are still burning and the yearly Christmas celebrations at Lobethal were cancelled.

On 20 December, an out-of-control bushfire took hold at Angle Vale near Gawler in the Mount Lofty Ranges. At 11:07am ACDT the fire was burning under catastrophic weather conditions and an emergency warning was issued for Hiller, Hiller Park, Munno Para Downs, Kudla, Munno Para West and Angle Vale. One house was destroyed.

Tasmania

In late October four bushfires were burning near Scamander, Elderslie and Lachlan. Emergency Warnings were issued at Lulworth, Bothwell and Lachlan. A large fire near Swansea also burnt over 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) which issued a watch and act warning. Lighting strikes have since started multiple fires in Southwest Tasmania.

Western Australia

Two bushfires were burning in Geraldton on 13 November, damaging homes and small structures.

A fire broke out in Yanchep at 2:11 pm on 11 December, immediately triggering an emergency warning for Yanchep and Two Rocks. Ultimately the fire led to a service station exploding. On 12 December, temperatures in excess of 40 °C (104 °F) exacerbated the fire, and the emergency warning area doubled including parts of Guilderton and Brenton Bay further north. On 13 December, more hot temperatures increased the size of the fire to in excess of 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres), with the fire front over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) in length. As of 13 December 2019, the emergency warning area stretched from Yanchep north to Lancelin over 40 km (25 mi) away. By 16 December, the fire was considered contained (but not controlled) and the alert downgraded to watch and act. Approximately 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) were burned, but only two buildings (a petrol station and a house) were damaged, both within the first day of the fire starting.

Australian Capital Territory

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the national capital Canberra was blanketed by thick bushfire smoke on New Year's Day, from bushfires burning nearby in New South Wales. That day, air quality in the capital was the worst of any city in the world, at around 23 times the threshold to be considered hazardous. Conditions continued the next day, and Australia Post stopped deliveries in the ACT to keep postal workers safe from smoke. The first death directly linked to the poor air quality was also recorded on 2 January.

International effects

Carbon emissions

In mid December, a NASA analysis revealed that since 1 August, the New South Wales and Queensland bushfires had emitted 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂). By comparison, in 2018 Australia's total carbon emissions were equivalent to 535 million tonnes of CO₂. While the emitted carbon would normally eventually be reabsorbed by forest regrowth, this would take decades, and might not fully happen if prolonged drought damaged the ability of forests to fully regrow.

New Zealand

File:Smoke cloud over New Zealand, 1 January 2020.jpg

The smoke cloud covering the South Island of New Zealand on 1 January 2020; landmasses are outlined in blue.

On New Year's Day 2020, a blanket of smoke from the Australian fires covered the whole South Island, giving the sky an orange-yellow haze. People in Dunedin reported smelling smoke in the air. MetService stated that the smoke would not have any adverse affects on the weather or temperature in the country. The smoke moved over the North Island the following day, but began breaking up and was not as intense as it was over the South Island the previous day; meanwhile, wind from the Pacific Ocean dissipated the smoke over the South Island. The smoke affected glaciers in the country, giving a brown tint to the snow.

Domestic response

New South Wales

The two primary firefighting agencies for New South Wales, Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service, formed the bulk of the primary response to the fires, mobilising thousands of firefighters and several hundred firefighting vehicles. They were heavily supported by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Forestry Corporation of NSW, who hold jurisdiction over national parks and forests across the state. Additional local firefighting resources were also utilised from agencies such as Air Services Australia and Sydney Trains.

Numerous interstate agencies deployed firefighting resources into New South Wales, including several hundred firefighters from the Victorian Country Fire Authority, along with crews from the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade, the South Australian Country Fire Service, the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service and the South Australian Department of Environment and Water.

Despite the substantial loss of property and tragic loss of life, firefighters have so far managed to save over 16,000 structures from direct fire impact in addition to countless lives.

Multiple other New South Wales emergency services assisted in the response, including NSW Ambulance who provided ongoing pre-hospital care to victims of the fires including firefighters, NSW Police who worked to ensure public safety was maintained through road closures and evacuations and the NSW State Emergency Service who assisted with logistical support.

The Australian Defence Force provided significant support to fire authorities including providing logistical support for the movement of vehicles, stores and equipment, utilising military bases to house firefighters including catering, utilising Air Force and Naval Air Bases to load and refuel water bombing aircraft, deploying Army personnel to assess damaged structures in severely affected areas, utilising large military transport aircraft to move firefighters and firefighting equipment and utilising military helicopters to conduct rescues of people trapped by fires and to using advanced reconnaissance equipment to map the movement and spread of fires. On 31 December following major devastation across south east New South Wales and Victoria, the Defence Force increased their response, deploying additional military staff, helicopters and two naval vessels, HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore.

The response of volunteer organisations and charities was also considerable, with WIRES Wildlife Rescue working to rescue and treat injured wildlife, Rapid Relief Team Australia raising money for victims, providing meals for firefighters and assisting with two bulk water tankers, Team Rubicon Australia providing debris removal and helping with the cleanup of fire affected areas, the Animal Welfare League fundraising and assisting injured animals, and St John Ambulance Australia providing support at evacuation centres across New South Wales.

International response

Three deployments for a total of 68 Canadian support personnel were sent through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Over 50 New Zealanders were deployed to Australia in both direct fire fighting and support roles. It was not the first time that Canadian and United States personnel have been deployed to Australia, and Australian firefighters had provided support to Canada and US for two decades.

Swedish climate activist and Time Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg, tweeted on 22 December: "Not even catastrophes like these seem to bring any political action. How is this possible? Because we still fail to make the connection between the climate crisis and increased extreme weather events and nature disasters like the #AustraliaFires. That's what has to change. Now."

Political response

The political ramifications of this fire season have been significant. Decisions made by the New South Wales Government, led by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, to cut funding to fire services despite the repeated warnings of fire chiefs that the fire season would be one of the worst to date, were initially criticised.

Further controversy surrounded a Hawaiian holiday taken by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the same time that two volunteer firefighters died fighting a blaze South West of Sydney, resulting in accusations of apathy. These criticisms were exacerbated when just one week later, the New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services David Elliot left the country to go on a holiday to Europe. Both incidents resulted in major controversy regarding the leadership of both the State and Federal Liberal Governments. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk did not escape criticism, after it was announced she was holidaying on a cruise ship, whilst active fires burnt in her state.

Political and social debate has surrounded the primary drivers of the unprecedented extent and nature of fire activity. In the midst of the crisis, conservative politicians, aided by right wing media groups such as the Rupert Murdoch media group, were quick to lay blame for the fires on a lack of prescribed burning in the affected forested environments . Accompanying this was the assertion that the Australian Greens and environmental groups were responsible for the crisis. Such claims were made despite there being increased prescribed burning undertaken in NSW in recent years, and the negligible political power of the accused parties and groups, relative to that of the Coalition, in enforcing the accused agenda . Furthermore, there exists an abundance of peer-reviewed scientific research that suggests that prescribed burning plays a limited role in saving property and stopping bushfire under extreme conditions in south east Australia, with weather and climate playing a primary role . Further still, in many forested environments prescribed burning can propogate a state of heightened flammability due to moisture dynamics . Scientific experts consider such conservative claims as without foundation, and a conspiracy to deflect political attention away from climate change - a known factor in increased fire frequency and intensity in south east Australia .

The crisis led to calls for more action to combat climate change, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded that climate change was one of many factors involved, such as the drought, with "the dryness of the bush" being "the biggest factor", while adding that Australia was playing its part in the international effort against climate change, and stating that emissions were now lower than at any time before he came into government.

See also

• List of Australian bushfire seasons
• Major bushfires in Australia
• Wildfire prevention
• Fire ecology: eucalypt forests

External links

• Current global map of airborne particulates less than 1 micrometer in diameter, including smoke, centered on Australia.
• MyFireWatch - Australian government site mapping fires and vegetation every 2-4 hours from satellite data