Black Saturday bushfires

2009 Victorian bushfires
MODIS Aqua satellite image of the fires in eastern Victoria during the afternoon of the 7th. By the 8th, smoke from the bushfires had reached as far as New Zealand.
Date(s)	7–13 February 2009 (ongoing)
Location	Victoria, Australia
Statistics
Burned area	over 450,000 hectares (1.1 million acres)
Land use	Urban/Rural Fringe Areas, Farmland, and Forest Reserves/National Parks
Impacts
Deaths	181 (Current as of 0300 AEDT, 11/02/2009, still being counted.)
Non-fatal injuries	500+, 100+ in hospital

The 2009 Victorian bushfires are a series of bushfires that were ignited across the Australian state of Victoria on 7 February 2009, resulting in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire. The fires have so far resulted in at least 181 deaths, and 100 people have been admitted to hospitals across Victoria with burns, at least 20 in a critical condition, and 9 on life support or in intensive care.

The fires have destroyed at least 1,831 homes and damaged many thousands more. Many towns north-east of Melbourne have been badly damaged or almost completely destroyed, including Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong and Strathewen. The fires have left an estimated 7,000 people homeless.

Maps, warnings and incident reports

Information about fires on public land is available from the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment's Fire Situation page. This provides detailed, frequently updated maps of major fires and a complete list of fire indidents. This page also lists Australian Broadcasting Corporation local radio stations which carry fire updates, community alerts and other important messages.

Information about fires on private land is available from the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

Background

Heat wave

Main article: 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave

Temperature graph for Melbourne during the peak of the heatwave.

Commencing in late January, an exceptional heat wave affected south-eastern Australia. It was caused by a slow moving high-pressure system that settled over the Tasman Sea, with a combination of an intense tropical low located off the North West Australian coast and a monsoon trough over Northern Australia, which produced ideal conditions for hot tropical air to be directed down over Southeastern Australia.

The February fires commenced on a day when several localities across the state, including the state capital of Melbourne, recorded their highest temperatures since records began in 1859. On 6 February 2009—the day before the fires started—Premier of Victoria John Brumby issued a warning about the extreme weather conditions expected on 7 February: "It's just as bad a day as you can imagine and on top of that the state is just tinder-dry. People need to exercise real common sense tomorrow". Brumby went on to state that it was expected to be the "worst day of fire conditions in the history of the state".

Gippsland fires

See also: 2008-09 Australian bushfire season

In late January, several fires broke out in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

On the night of 28 January, CFA fire crews dealt with a small fire near Delburn which had burnt 30 hectares (74 acres) of land, and on the afternoon of 29 January, attended two more fires in the same area, one of which threatened a local pine plantation. Also on 29 January, the CFA attended, and soon controlled, two small grass fires near the city of Sale, which were thought to have been deliberately lit.

Late on 29 January and into the following morning, the two fires at Delburn (and several other smaller fires) had joined, and were being fought by over 500 personnel; the fires had burnt 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) in the area near Boolarra and Darlimurra, south of the city of Morwell, though no property losses were reported. A cool change late on 30 January eased conditions, but also produced winds which led to spot fires. On the evening of 31 January, fire crews focused on containing the fire's northern flank, which was within 2km of the main power transmission lines supplying electricity to Melbourne from the Latrobe Valley; the fires also threatened the Hazelwood Power Station.

By 1 February, containment lines had been established around the Boolarra fires, although it was not yet under control. The fire had burned through 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) and destroyed 29 houses, along with various outbuildings and also livestock. On 3 February, authorities had divided the fires into six sectors, five of which were classified as contained, and only one, near Mirboo North, remained uncontained.

On 2 February, twenty-three new fires were lit – mostly due to lightning strikes – including three in the Bunyip State Park, and further fires near Drouin West and Leongatha. However, increased humidity helped contain the fires, according to a DSE duty officer.

Police believed that the fires that formed the Delburn/Boolarra complex were deliberately lit, and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspected arsonists.

In the wake of the Gippsland fires, Bruce Esplin, the Victorian Emergency Services Commissioner, proposed a review of building regulations applicable in certain fire-prone areas, saying that "I believe that with the changes and the frequency and the severity of the bushfires we're experiencing, I think the community is going to have a rethink about where we build or if you build in a place like that". Also following those fires, Bob Cameron, the Victorian Minister for Emergency Services, announced that the Victorian government was considering ways to tackle arsonists, including the potential for a register of arsonists accessible to police.

Major fires

File:Kinglake complex map 2.PNG

Map of the Kinglake Fire Complex, the red arrows representing the initial north-westerly wind and subsequent south-westerly.

The major fires include:

North and central

Kinglake fire complex

The Kinglake fire complex, was named after two earlier fires, the Kilmore fire and the Murrindindi Mill fire, which merged following the wind change on the 7th-8th. The complex had burned out over 210,000 hectares (520,000 acres) as of 8 February. 147 people have died in the Kinglake Complex thus far.

A fire starting at Kilmore East, on the afternoon of 7 February, pushed 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-east towards St. Andrews through Wandong and Clonbinane. As many as 30 houses were feared destroyed at Wandong and Heathcote Junction on 7 February. By 8 February it was estimated that 150 houses had been destroyed at Wandong, and four people killed. The fire led to the closure of the Seymour railway line and parts of the Hume Highway. The north-westerly winds pushed a narrow fire front a long distance towards St Andrews before the cool change passed through the area around 7.30 pm, bringing south-westerly winds. The wind change turned the initial long and narrow fire band into a wide fire front that moved in a north-east direction through Kinglake and towards Marysville.

By the evening of 8 February, as many as 100 people displaced by the Kilmore fire were sheltering at an emergency relief centre established in a basketball stadium at Wallan, many of them unable to return to their homes because of safety roadblocks.

The fire front pushed through the Kinglake area late on 7 February, and it was to be the worst impacted area in the state, with 35 fatalities and more than 550 houses destroyed. In Kinglake at least 35 people were confirmed dead, with another 12 deceased in Kinglake West.

The town of Marysville (at the eastern end of the complex) was almost entirely destroyed by the fire. Late in the afternoon of 7 February, residents had anticipated that the fire front would bypass Marysville, but within minutes the town was enveloped in fire. At about 5 pm, power was lost to the town and the wind dropped away; minutes later the wind returned from a different direction, bringing the fire up the valley with it. About 30 residents waited out the night at Gallipoli Park, and were evacuated to Alexandra on the afternoon of 8 February. A police sergeant said that the main street in Marysville had been destroyed: "The motel at one end of it partially exists. The bakery has survived. Don't ask me how. Everything else is just nuked." Unknown damage to the water treatment plant at Marysville probably rendered local water supplies unsafe to drink.. Later reports from February 11th gave estimates that around 100 of the town's approximate population of 500 are believed to have perished, and that only "a dozen" buildings were left. Premier Brumby described: "There's no activity, there's no people, there's no buildings, there's no birds, there's no animals, everything's just gone. So the fatality rate will be very high."

An eyewitness reported that 95 per cent of the houses in nearby Narbethong were also destroyed. Other localities affected by the same fire included Taggerty and Buxton.

To the south, visitors and residents were stranded at Yarra Glen when fire surrounded the town on three sides.

Investigators strongly believe that the cause of the fire that swept through Marysville fire was arson, with several suspects under investigation.

The pattern of winds which drove the East Kilmore and Murrindindi Mill fires initially south-east, and then north-east, can be understood by viewing the Bureau_of_Meteorology Mean Sea Level Pressure charts, which are available in the Analysis Chart Archive. The 11AM chart shows the fire area under the influence of the anti-clockwise rotating high pressure system, driving hot winds from the north west. The 5PM chart shows a weak cold front about to reach the fire area. This front was comprised of cooler winds from the south-west, driven by clockwise rotating low pressure systems driving air from the Indian_Ocean.

The separate development and later merging of these two fires can be visualised via the radar-visible plumes of smoke, water vapour and condensation (clouds) which arise from them, in Weather Watch Radar. The main Melbourne Weather Watch radar at Laverton and another at Melbourne Airport cover the fire area to the north-east of Melbourne. Animated sequences of archived weatherwatch radar images are available at strikeone.net.au.

A sequence of images from the Melbourne Airport radar spanning 12:20Pm to 9:40PM shows plumes from the East Kilmore and Bunyip State Forest fires becoming visible about 12:40PM. At 3:20 PM the plume from the Murrindindi Mill fire first becomes visible. This grows rapidly but remains separate from the East Kilmore plume. From about 6:40 PM the plumes begin to move in a more easterly or north-easterly direction under the influence of the cool change.

A second sequence of images has a gap between 2:36 and 6:06PM but shows the movement of the plumes in greater detail.

Maroondah/Yarra complex

Part of the Maroondah/Yarra fire complex east of Yarra Glen, on the 10th of February.

The Maroondah/Yarra complex was named on 10 February, referring to a combination of several fires that had earlier been burning to the east of Healesville and Toolangi. By late that morning, the complex had burned out 505 hectares (1,250 acres), with 184 personnel and 56 tankers responding to the fires. A CFA spokesperson said that while temperatures had cooled, strong winds were proving problematic, with towns in the area being threatened by embers blown from the fires. Around midday, the immediate threat to property in the areas around Healesville was downgraded, though a DSE spokesperson said that residents should be mindful of localised changes in the weather.

Beechworth fire

Smoke from the initial northwesterly fueled Kilmore Fire, being blown across Melbourne's north-east, prior to the southwesterly change, on 7 February.

In Beechworth, a fire has burnt over 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and threatens the towns of Yackadandah, Stanley, Bruarong, Dederang, Kancoona, Kancoona South, Coralbank, Glen Creek and Running Creek. The fire started at 7 pm on 7 February, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Beechworth, before being driven south through pine plantations by hot northerly winds.

The fire destroyed an unknown number of buildings at Mudgegonga, south-east of Beechworth; 2 have been confirmed dead. Dense smoke and cloud cover had hindered assessment of the Beechworth fire, but as conditions cleared late on 8 February, aerial crews were anticipating being able to commence surveys of the situation.

Smoke mixes with cloud over Warrandyte, looking north-east across the Yarra River, towards the Kinglake Fire Complex on 8 February.

Strong winds fuelled the fire on the night of 8 February, and lightning ignited a new fire near Kergunyah around midday on 9 February. More than 440 personnel worked to contain a separate front that threatened Gundowring and Eskdale, having jumped the Kiewa River; late on the night of 9 February the greatest threat was to Eskdale, and fires were also burning in pine plantations 8km from the large town of Myrtleford, at the opposite, western end of the fire area. While smaller towns to the east, including Gundowring and Kergunyah, remained under threat, the CFA said that there was no immediate danger to the larger towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah on the northern fringe of the fire area.

By 10 February firefighters had completed a 115-kilometre (71 mi) containment line around the Beechworth fire, and sought to construct 15 km (9.3 mi) more, though the fire continued to burn out of control. By that afternoon, threat messages for the area had been downgraded, though firefighters were tackling a separate fire near Koetong, to the east of the main Beechworth fire, of between 50 to 80 hectares (120 to 200 acres). Residents of Beechworth and surrounding towns were advised on the evening of 10 February to expect increased smoke cover as 250 firefighters would be undertaking backburning to eliminate fuel within the control lines.

The Beechworth Correctional Centre minimum-security prison offered up to thirty of its inmates to provide assistance to firefighters; a local DSE manager said that though untrained personnel would not be allowed at the fire front, the prisoners would be welcome in support roles.

Bendigo fire

Fire threatening houses near Dean Street in Long Gully, west of Bendigo.

A fire to the west of the city of Bendigo burned out 500 hectares (1,200 acres). The fire broke out at about 4.30 pm on the afternoon of 7 February, and burned through Long Gully and Eaglehawk, coming within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of central Bendigo, before it was brought under control late on 8 February. It destroyed approximately 45 houses in Bendigo's western suburbs, and damaged an electricity transmission line, resulting in blackouts to substantial parts of the city. One Long Gully resident, ill and confined to his house, was killed in the fire despite the efforts of his neighbours to rescue him. A second person was later confirmed dead. The fire changed direction late on 7 February with the cool change, and headed back towards Eaglehawk; it was contained around lunchtime on 8 February, though it was still burning within containment lines later that day.

A relief centre was set up at Kangaroo Flat Senior Citizens Centre. During the fire, residents from Long Gully, Eaglehawk, Maiden Gully, California Gully and West Bendigo were evacuated and advised to assemble at the centre. A town meeting was held for the affected residents on 8 February. On the same day, the Victoria Police indicated that they were investigating whether arson was the cause of the fire.

The CFA suspected that the most likely cause was a cigarette butt discarded from a car or truck on the highway. However, the arson squad and local Bendigo detectives spent 9 February investigating the fire scene, and while they could not determine exactly what had caused the fire as of 10 February, they suspected arson.

Redesdale fire

In Redesdale, there has been 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) burnt, with the fire starting 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) west of the town. The fire was reported as threatening the towns of Baynton and Glenhope. Glenhope was threatened again on 9 February from a smaller fire that broke away from the main front, resulting in extra fire crews being brought in from Bendigo and Kyneton.

By 10 February the fire had been contained, having destroyed 12 houses and various outbuildings.

East

File:09 Victorian bushfires locator map.png

Map of locations affected by bushfires in Central Victoria and West Gippsland.

Bunyip fire

A fire at Bunyip Ridge led to the destruction of houses at Longwarry and Drouin West, along with farms and businesses, after the fire jumped the Princes Highway.

The progress of the fire had been stopped by the afternoon of 9 February, though it had burned through 24,500 hectares (61,000 acres). The fire destroyed at least 8 houses, in addition to various outbuildings and a factory. DSE crews conducted backburning operations to ensure containment of the fire on 9 February, warning residents of areas between Pakenham and Warragul about smoke from those fires.

Farmers, unable to keep stock on their farms because of fire damage, were storing stock at nearby saleyards; by 9 February, hundreds of head of cattle affected by the Bunyip fire were en route to saleyards at Pakenham.

Churchill fire

The Churchill fire complex began in a pine plantation 1 kilometre (1,100 yd) south-east of Churchill on the afternoon of 7 February. Within 30 minutes it had spread to the south-east, threatening Hazelwood South, Traralgon South, Jeeralang, and Budgeree East; by late afternoon the fire was approaching Yarram and Woodside on the south Gippsland coast. The cool change came through the area about 6pm, but the south-westerly winds it brought pushed the fire north-east towards Gormandale and Willung South on the Hyland Highway. About 500 evacuees from the area sheltered at an emergency centre established in a theatre in Traralgon.

The fire threatened the Loy Yang Power Station, particularly the station's open-cut coal mine. On the night of 7 February, the fire approached the mine's overburden dump, but did not damage any infrastructure, nor did it affect the station's operations. Several small fires broke out in the bunker storing raw coal from the mine, but were contained with no damage. The threat eased by the evening of 8 February as temperatures cooled and some light rain fell; one small spot fire broke out to the south of the power station, but it was contained by water bombing aircraft.

By 9 February, the Churchill fire complex was still burning out of control, with fronts through the Latrobe Valley and the Strzelecki Ranges. By late that afternoon, the complex had burnt out 32,860 hectares (81,200 acres) and had killed nineteen people. Wind changes that evening exacerbated parts of the Churchill complex, causing the CFA to issue further warnings to residents at Won Wron and surrounding areas.

On 9 February, police were investigating the theft of a CFA volunteer's uniform from his car in Churchill that morning.

Investigators revealed that they strongly believed arson is the most likely cause of the Churchill fire. On 13 February a local Churchill man was arrested by police for allegedly lighting the Churchill fires, and was expected to be charged with arson causing death.

Dandenong Ranges fires

A car burnt as a result of the Upper Ferntree Gully Fires 2009

In Ferntree Gully and Upper Ferntree Gully all major roads were closed. Located within the Dandenong Ranges, fire damaged the rail track around Upper Ferntree Gully, causing the closure of the Belgrave railway line. The fire, which was contained by CFA crews within three hours, burned at least 2 hectares (4.9 acres) along the railway.

A house fire broke out on the morning of 12 February in Upper Ferntree Gully, with the fire claiming the life of a CFA volunteer. Police are treating the fire as suspicious.

Narre Warren

In Narre Warren there have been several fires. Six homes were destroyed in Narre Warren South and three in Narre Warren North.

Wilsons Promontory

On 8 February lightning sparked a fire in Wilsons Promontory which has now burnt over 450 hectares (1,100 acres). This fire posed no immediate threat to campers but due to excessive fuel and inaccessibility authorities chose to evacuate the park, with some campers being evacuated by boat.

West

Horsham fire

The Horsham fire burnt 5,700 hectares (14,000 acres), including the golf club and eight homes. The Dimboola fire ute was also destroyed.

The fire was started at 12.30 pm on 7 February when strong winds felled a power pole at Remlaw, west of the city, before heading south-west and then south-east, across the Wimmera Highway and Wimmera River to the Horsham Golf Course and then to Haven, south of the city. Firefighters managed to save the general store, town hall and school at Haven, though flames came within metres of those buildings. Winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), that changed direction three times throughout the day, produced conditions described by the local CFA incident controller as the worst he had ever seen. To the south-west of Horsham, a taxi driver collected his fare, an 82-year-old wheelchair-bound woman and her daughter, from her house as the fire was no more than 100 metres (110 yd) away; the house was alight as the taxi drove off, and burned down within minutes.

At 3 pm more than 400 personnel were engaged in fighting the fire, as well as two water-bombing aircraft, 54 Country Fire Authority (CFA) tankers and 35 Department of Sustainability and the Environment (DSE) units. By 6 pm the front had moved east, and as the wind changed, was then pushed north-east across the Western Highway to Drung, east of Horsham.

Coleraine fire

Coleraine had 770 hectares (1,900 acres) burnt, with one man left nursing severe burns. The fire is reported to be under control.

Weerite fire

At Weerite, east of Camperdown, a fire burnt 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres), and damaged the rail line between Geelong and Warrnambool. The fire caused unquantified losses of stock, and destroyed several outbuildings, but all houses under threat were saved by CFA firefighters. The fire was thought to have been started by sparking power lines along the Princes Highway, which was initially open to traffic at restricted speeds and is now fully open. It is expected that the rail line will re-open fully by Monday 16 February, 2009 , after the repair of track damage - approximately 3000 sleepers were burnt across a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section of track.

Responses

Fire fighting

More than 4,000 firefighters from the Country Fire Authority (CFA), which is primarily responsible for fires on private property, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), primarily responsible for fires on public land, have worked to battle the fires.

In addition to CFA and DSE firefighters, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered army assistance and the states of NSW, South Australia, ACT, Tasmania and Western Australia sent firefighters and equipment.

The Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and New Zealand offered support to the Australian government, which accepted the offer of 100 fire fighting personnel from New Zealand. The numbers are limited by the extreme fire risk current in parts of New Zealand, but include forestry and fire behaviour specialists. New Zealand has also provided a Mil Mi-8MTV-1 helicopter equipped with 5000 litre Bambi bucket.

Aid efforts

See also: 2009 Victorian bushfire donations

Humanitarian responses to the fires came quickly from government, businesses and aid agencies, including direct relief efforts as well as fundraising.

The Victorian Government's Department of Human Services offered immediate assistance of up to $1,067 for affected people. The federal government announced a $10 million package of emergency assistance, available from 9 February, providing $1,000 per adult and $400 per child for those who had been hospitalised with injuries or who had lost their homes.

The appeal started by the Australian Red Cross had, by 11:00pm on 12 February, raised over $75 million. 3,733 people have registered with the Red Cross after evacuating their properties. The Red Cross Blood Service received 6,000 offers of blood donations on the morning of 9 February alone.

Major banks National Australia Bank, ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank and Westpac each announced $1 million in donations for fire victims. Bendigo Bank donated $100,000 to seed a public donations appeal. The ANZ announced further relief for its farm customers, with cash grants available to those whose infrastructure or livestock have been partially ($5,000) or wholly ($10,000) destroyed. Banking & Insurance giant Suncorp-Metway donated $500,000. The chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry encouraged workplaces to take up collections to benefit victims.

Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company, donated $500,000 and pledged to match employee donations to the value of $250,000, bringing the total to over $1 million. Telstra also provided free telephone diversions to those affected and offered free local and mobile calls on selected public phone boxes in bushfire areas for people to contact relatives and friends.

Cricket Australia announced that a match scheduled 10 February match between Australia and New Zealand would be used to raise money for fire victims, with the broadcaster Nine Network to appeal for donations during the match. Woolworths Inc. donated $1 million to the Vic Bushfire Appeal. Football Federation Australia has donated $100,000 to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal and will provide replacement football (soccer) equipment to Victorian schools and junior clubs affected by the disaster. The Australian Football League (AFL) has announced that the NAB Cup match between Essendon Bombers and Western Bulldogs previously scheduled to be played in Darwin on 13 February would instead be played at Telstra Dome in Melbourne as a bushfire appeal match with all proceeds donated towards relief efforts.

V8 Supercars Australia announced that it would donate $100,000 to the aid effort, and they have donated the use of their main transporter as a communications centre and command post for the duration of the crisis.

The ACCC warned people to be wary of potential scammers exploiting the fires by posing as representatives of fake charities as similar scams had occurred after the 2003 Canberra bushfires.

Wesfarmers announced a $500,000 donation to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Coles, Westfarmer's supermart division, are donating profits from all stores on Friday 13 February while Kmart, their discount department store chain, has donated $100,000 to the Salvation Army.

Connex Melbourne announced it will be donating $250,000 to the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Appeal, and its parent company, Veolia Environnement is donating a further $100,000.

Bombardier Transportation has pledged that it will match 3 to 1 every dollar its employees donate.

Schools all over Australia will be participating in donating money to the fires.

The Bushfire Housing website was donated by Sputnik Agency to connect more than 5000 people left homeless by the fires with people offering temporary lodgings. On the bushfirehousing site, people can offer their spare rooms to those left homeless. But some have even offered their own homes and holiday houses to victims.

Government

While the federal parliament was suspended due to the emergency, the Governor-General in Council continued to address the disaster. The Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, accepted from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd an offer to advise the Governor-General to dispatch members of the Australian Defence Force to provide assistance in that state. Rudd described the bushfires as an "appalling tragedy for Victoria," saying "Hell and all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours." Queen Elizabeth II—monarch of all Commonwealth realms, including Australia—made a donation to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Fund, and stated that she "was shocked and saddened to learn of the terrible toll being exacted by the fires this weekend," and sent "heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who have died and... deep sympathy to the many that have lost their homes in this disaster," as well as expressing admiration for the firefighters and other emergency personnel.

Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police, Christine Nixon, who was due to retire in March 2009, announced on 10 February that she would be stepping down early in order to lead a state government committee charged with rebuilding the fire-affected areas.

Australian Greens Party leader Bob Brown told Sky News, that "[the fires] are a sobering reminder of the need for [Australia] and the whole world to act and put at a priority the need to tackle climate change.."

International reaction

• China - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent a message of condolences to his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd.
  
• France - In a letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his country's sympathy, and offered assistance from French resources in New Caledonia.
  
• Germany - The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel sent a personal letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, offering aid and support.
  
• India - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee telephoned Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to convey his "deep condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased and victims of the bushfires in the State of Victoria". The Indian foreign minister offered to provide any necessary disaster relief.
  
• Indonesia - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent a letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressing deep sympathy: "In the spirit of the Australia-Indonesia partnership, Australia's success is also Indonesia's success, and its misery is also Indonesia's misery". Indonesia said it would send a police forensic team to help identify bushfire victims, and would also contribute US$1 million for the reconstruction of schools.
  
• Iran - Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rang Stephen Smith to express "deep grief" over the fires.
  
• Israel - Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sent a letter to Kevin Rudd, "I have been following with horror and disbelief the deadly wildfires raging in the Australian state of Victoria over the past few days, which claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent people and left thousands homeless and destitute"
  
• Japan - Japan’s Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone offered "any cooperation" necessary from the Japanese, in a letter to Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
  
• Lithuania - President Valdas Adamkus sent a condolence message to Australia's Governor-General Ms Quentin Bryce. "Today our thoughts are with the Australian firefighters, rescue teams, and all those who are battling the fires, risking their lives to save others."
  
• New Zealand - John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, stated that "Our relationship is like no other. At this time we stand shoulder to shoulder with you as you battle the blaze that will be marked forever in the history of your great nation"; he offered fire-fighting and police personnel and equipment. A specialist New Zealand firefighting helicopter and victim identification police specialists were sent to Australia. The New Zealand government donated NZ$ 500,000 to victims of the disaster.
  
• Papua New Guinea - The government of Papua New Guinea has decided to donate $A2 million to assist disaster victims in the bushfires in Victoria and those who've been affected by flooding in north Queensland.
  
• Russia - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a telegram to Quentin Bryce, "I learned with regret about the great tragedy in Australia - large-scale wildfires that rage in the south-eastern part of the continent. I ask you to convey words of condolence, deep sympathy and support to the families and friends of the dead and wishes of soonest recovery to the injured"
  
• Singapore - Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong offered the use of a fleet of Super Puma Helicopters that were stationed in Oakey, Queensland.
• Timor-Leste - "On behalf of the Timorese people, I would like to extend my deep condolences to our brothers and sisters of Australia, especially to those who have lost their loved ones and properties in this tragedy," said East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta in a statement. Dr Ramos-Horta delayed his official visit to Australia.
  
• Turkey - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent condolences, and Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu offered assistance.
• United Kingdom - Prime Minister Gordon Brown telephoned Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to offer sympathy and assistance in dealing with the bushfires.
  
• United States - US President Barack Obama telephoned Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to offer his condolences over the Victorian bushfires. More than 30 US firefighters have been deployed to Victoria, and the US has also offered the expertise of aviation managers, planning section chiefs, and specialists in land rehabilitation.
  

Other nations including Andorra, Brazil, Cuba, Ireland, Nauru, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sweden and Uganda have sent messages of support, as have European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Pope Benedict XVI and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Investigations

Investigations began almost immediately following the fires to identify victims, and by 10 February the Victoria Police were engaged in investigating the origin of the fires and people who might have started them.

Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police, Christine Nixon, formed a taskforce to assist in identifying victims, coordinated by Inspector Greg Hough. The New South Wales Police Force, Western Australia Police and Tasmania Police have sent officers trained in disaster victim identification (DVI) to assist in this task. New Zealand has also sent a team of DVI-trained police officers on a three-week assignment.

Nixon stated on 9 February that all fire sites would be treated as crime scenes. On that day a man was arrested in connection with the fires at Narre Warren; it was alleged by police that he had been operating a power tool, sparks from which ignited a grass fire, destroying two houses.

Premier John Brumby announced that there will be a Royal Commission into the fires, which will examine "all aspects of the government's bushfire strategy", including the possibility that the event was the result of climate change. Peter Marshall, the national secretary for the United Firefighters Union of Australia, has written a public letter to both the Prime Minister and Victorian Premier requesting that Climate Change be considered seriously in light of the escalating threat from fires. He said, according to CSIRO figures, that these risks to volunteer firefighters will grow over time. Saying that "Given the Federal Government's dismal greenhouse gas emissions cut of 5 per cent, the science suggests we are well on the way to guaranteeing that somewhere in the country there will be an almost annual repeat of the recent disaster and more frequent extreme weather events."[1]

Some of the fires are suspected to have been deliberately lit by arsonists — whose action has been described as "mass murder" by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Despite the events of the previous days, on the evening TV news on Wednesday 11 February, a new fire burning near Mansfield was reported as being considered suspicious by police.

Tim Flannery of Macquarie University attributed the severity of the bushfires to drier conditions experienced in the 12-year drought in southern Australia, and higher temperature extremes during February.

On 12 February, two people were arrested in connection with the fires, having been observed by members of the public acting suspiciously in areas between Yea and Seymour; although they were both released without charges laid.

On 13 February, a man from Churchill was arrested by police, and was expected to be charged with arson causing death, for allegedly lighting fires at Churchill on 7 February, that ultimately formed the Churchill complex.

Media and community

All major Australian television channels increased their nightly bulletin times to cover the fires in more detail. ABC Local Radio in Victoria postponed programs to relay up to the minute news of the fires, from 7 February onwards. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)

On 7 February the Australian Broadcasting Corporation established a message board where people could offer or request help, and was inundated with replies.

From the start of the bushfires on 7 February, several organisations and individuals used the microblogging service Twitter to post updates on the developing situation. Most notably these were a conversion of the Country Fire Authority's RSS stream, @cfa_updates, and the ABC's @774melbourne, the local emergency radio station. Users also established [2] and [3] channels.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide pledged that Saint Vincent de Paul and other Catholic aid organisations would offer assistance, and offered prayers and condolences on behalf of the Australian Catholic conference of bishops. Pope Benedict XVI, through his Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, offered assistance and assurance of prayers and spiritual support to the Governor General.

Australian flags were at half staff in remembrance of the victims, and the Australian Parliament gave memorial speeches and observed a moment of silence.

A memorial fund will likely be set up, and movement is underway to start identification, spring up needed tent cities, and continue animal rescues and victim searches.

On 12 February 2009, the Nine Network presented a national telethon, Australia Unites, for the main purpose of collecting donations as much as possible. Guests will include Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Nicole Kidman, Shane Warne, Keith Urban and many others.

Consequences

Bushfire damage to property just north of Yarra Glen. The Hills Hoist is still standing.

Bushfire damage to property just north of Yarra Glen.

Bushfire damage to property in Steels Creek.

MODIS imagery shows smoke plumes from the fires are blown by winds over the Tasman Sea and New Zealand.

Casualties

181 people have been confirmed to have been killed by the fires. Victorian Premier John Brumby has raised fears that the toll would reach 230, while police are preparing their resources for a final toll of up to 300.

Brian Naylor, former Seven Network and Nine Network television personality and his wife Moiree, were confirmed amongst the dead in the Kinglake West area. Actor Reg Evans and his partner, artist Angela Brunton, residing on a small farm in the St. Andrews area, also died in the Kinglake area fire. Ornithologist Richard Zann perished in the Kinglake fire, together with his wife and daughter.

It has also been reported that over 500 people have been treated for burns with 100 people admitted to hospital.

A temporary morgue was established at the Coronial Services Centre at Southbank, capable of holding up to three hundred bodies, which the Victorian Coroner compared to a similar facility established after the July 2005 London bombings. Various funeral homes assisted with transporting bodies to Melbourne. By the morning of 10 February, 101 bodies had been transported to the temporary morgue. As of that day, there were more than fifty unidentified bodies either stored in the morgue or yet to be recovered from the fire areas; the director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine stated that it may well be impossible to identify some of the remains.

On 11 February, Commissioner Nixon indicated that she hoped that searches for bodies would be completed by 15 February, but that the prospect of asbestos being present in some of the destroyed buildings would hinder the progress of the searches.

Foreign nationals killed in the bushfire include citizens of:

• New Zealand - 1
• Philippines - 2
• Greece - 2
• United Kingdom - 1

Fatalities

Kinglake complex

• 35 – Kinglake
• 30 – Strathewen
• 22 – St Andrews
• 15 – Marysville
• 9 – Narbethong
• 7 – Steels Creek
• 6 – Humevale
• 4 – Kinglake West
• 4 – Wandong
• 4 – Flowerdale
• 3 – Taggerty
• 3 – Arthurs Creek
• 2 – Hazeldene
• 1 – Yarra Glen
• 1 – Clonbinane
• 1 – Heathcote Junction
• 1 – Healesville

Churchill

• 11 – Callignee
• 4 – Hazelwood
• 4 – Koornalla
• 1 – Jeeralang
• 1 – Upper Callignee

Bendigo

• 1 – Eaglehawk

Beechworth

• 2 – Mudgegonga

Unknown

• 19 – Location details not specific.

The fire authorities have estimated that in Marysville, in which virtually every structure has been razed by the fires, as many as 100 of the town's 519 residents may have perished.

Fire policy

In the wake of the fires, and the mounting casualty toll, there was debate about policies for dealing with bushfires.

In announcing that the fires would be investigated by a Royal Commission, Victorian Premier John Brumby suggested that the long-standing 'stay-and-defend-or-leave-early' policy would be reviewed, saying that while it had proven reliable during normal conditions, the conditions on 7 February had been exceptional. Brumby said that "There were many people who had done all of the preparations, had the best fire plans in the world and tragically it didn't save them." However, Commissioner Nixon defended the policy, saying that it was "well thought of and well based and has stood the test of time and we support it." Similarly, Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Shane Fitzsimmons said that "Decades of science, practice and history show that a well-prepared home provides the best refuge in the event of fire". Nixon also dismissed potential policies involving forced evacuations, saying "There used to be policies where you could make people leave but we're talking about adults". Former Victorian police minister Pat McNamara argued that forced evacuations could have worsened the death toll, as many of the dead appeared to have been killed while attempting to evacuate the fire areas by car.

Naomi Brown, chief executive of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council, argued that the high number of fatalities in these fires, as opposed to earlier fires such as the Ash Wednesday fires, was partly attributable to increased population densities at Melbourne's fringes. David Packham, research fellow at Monash University, argued that high fuel loads in bushland led to the destructive intensity of the fires, saying that "There has been total mismanagement of the Australian forest environment". Federal member of parliament and former forestry minister Wilson Tuckey also identified high fuel loads as a key contributor to the destruction, saying "Governments who choose to lock up these forests and... treat them with benign contempt, well, others pay the penalty". Tuckey put the blame for fuel loads on the two major parties – Labor and the Coalition – asserting that they "go running around putting in more reserves to get Green preferences". Nationals Senator Ron Boswell also argued for changes to forestry management policies, saying that "I'm not blaming anyone for this, I just think we need to look at some areas we turn into parks and then can't defend them".

Economic impact

Insurance companies including Suncorp Metway and IAG said on 9 February that it was too early to tell what the costs of the fires to insurers would be. Some claims adjusters suggested that the total insurance costs for the fires could amount to $1.5 billion. Other industry analysts suggested that the fires would lead to rises in insurance premiums, so that insurers might recover some of their losses. At the close of trading on 9 February, Suncorp Metway shares had dropped by more than a quarter, and IAG shares were down nearly ten per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard called on insurers to respond in a sensitive fashion to claims relating to the fires, saying "I am sure that anybody from an insurance company that has looked at their TV screens today is going to see the devastation and understand it is going to trigger claims and that those claims need to be responded to sympathetically and quickly."

An economist from Goldman Sachs JBWere said that an upside of the fire situation was that reconstruction efforts were likely to produce a stimulus effect on the economy of between 0.25 and 0.4 per cent of GDP over 18 months, saying that "As tragic as the events of the past two days have been, the rebuilding phase will provide a catalyst for economic growth in coming months, even if the personal and environmental cost takes years to recover".

Looting

By the morning of 11 February, reports of looting had been posted. Witnesses reported seeing acts of looting occurring at a property at Heathcote Junction, shortly after the removal of the body of a victim from the property. That evening, via a report on ABC Local Radio, a number of residents of Kinglake who had been allowed back into the area to inspect the damage, revealed that a "Looters Will Be Shot" sign had been posted in the town, after a number of suspicious people and vehicles were seen moving through the town.

On 12 February, a small number of arrests were made, and charges laid against people in relation to "looting offences", as announced by Christine Nixon.

Wildlife

Besides the cost to humans, millions of animals are estimated to have been killed by the wildfires. Additionally, of the surviving wildlife, many more have suffered from severe burns. For example, large numbers of kangaroos were afflicted with burned feet due to territorial instincts that drew them back to the recently-burned and smoldering homes.

The affected area, particularly around Marysville, contains the only known habitat of Leadbeater's Possum, Victoria's faunal emblem.

See also

• Country Fire Authority (Victoria)
• List of disasters in Australia by death toll

External links

• Share your shelter with Australia's bushfire victims
• V/Line Media information on rail services
• Victorian Police Media releases
• Live fire map
• CFA video footage on YouTube
• News coverage of the Victorian bushfires
• Statewide Current Incident Summary
• The Herald Sun interactive fire map
• Maps of the 08-09 season fires