Many Australians are asking that very question - but the science is complicated. [f][229], Two bushfires burnt in Geraldton on 13 November, damaging homes and small structures. 81% of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area burned. [486], The term black summer has become a common term for the 2019–20 bushfire season, for example, the Australian Red Cross uses this phrase as a blanket term for the fires. [131] A week before the rally was due to begin, the bushfire began to affect the region surrounding Coffs Harbour, with event organisers shortening the event in response to the deteriorating conditions. [494] Justin Hemmes donated A$500,000. Water bombers delivered 21 loads in just over an hour before darkness fell, and 150 firefighters on 25 trucks plus bulk water carriers and earthmoving equipment limited the advance of the fire to 18 hectares (44 acres). [119], On 6 September 2019, the northern parts of the state experienced extreme fire dangers. The Australian Defence Force was mobilised to provide air support to the firefighting effort and to provide manpower and logistical support. [272], In mid-December 2019, a NASA analysis revealed that since 1 August, the New South Wales and Queensland bushfires had emitted 250 million tonnes (280 million short tons) of carbon dioxide (CO2). [110], In August 2019 the federally funded Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC published a seasonal outlook report which advised of "above normal fire potential" for southern and southeast Queensland, the east coast areas of New South Wales and Victoria, for parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The Rural Fires Act 1997 was proclaimed on 1 September 1997. NSW was again badly affected, and three people killed, however the fires were mainly in sparsely populated inland areas. [44][45], By 4 March 2020, all fires in New South Wales had been extinguished completely (to the point where there were no fires in the state for the first time since July 2019),[46] and the Victoria fires had all been contained. A small but out-of-control fire has broken out in the northern suburbs of Sydney, with emergency services saying it is "spreading quickly." [228] As of 6 January 2020[update] approximately 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres), representing about a third of the island, had been burnt. In late October 2019, a number of fires started in remote bushland near Lake Burragorang in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park south-west of Sydney. [312], On 5 January 2020, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, funded initially with A$2 billion, under the control of former Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Andrew Colvin. [254] Smoke from nearby bushfires continued to severely impact Canberra's air quality intermittently throughout January 2020. [212], 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. [91], The Garnaut Climate Change Review of 2008 stated:[107][108]. At least 34 people died in the bushfires since October, most in January; two other people died in Septemberand are not usually included in the tally. [478][479] On 20 February 2020, Morrison released the letters patent confirming the establishment of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, chaired by Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin AC (Retd), a former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, and supported by the Hon. On one street there were only four houses still standing. managed to save over 16,000 structures from direct fire impact in addition to countless lives. The fire was projected to burn towards the Central Coast and potentially threaten properties in Wisemans Ferry and other townships. This fire season has been one of the worst in Australia’s history, with at least 15 people killed, hundreds of homes destroyed and millions of acres burned. The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season,[a] colloquially known as Black Summer,[13][16] was a period of unusually intense bushfires in many parts of Australia. They are of unprecedented proportions and cause major damage to villages, agriculture and nature in affected areas: an estimated half a billion wild animals have died, including thousands of koalas. What's Australia doing to fight the bushfires? A state of disaster was declared for East Gippsland. [160] 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 9 am on the following day, including an unprecedented[161] 14,000-square-kilometre (5,400 sq mi) "tourist leave zone" from Nowra to the edge of Victoria's northern border. Residents and holiday makers were forced to flee to the beaches. That day the air quality in the capital was the worst of any city in the world, at around 23 times the threshold to be considered hazardous. [75] However, due to their lower intensity and remote location, the 1974 fires caused around A$5 million (approximately A$36.5 million in 2020[76]) in damages. Besides immediate mortality from the fires, there were on-going mortalities after the fires from starvation, lack of shelter, and attacks from predators such as foxes and feral cats that are attracted to fire-affected areas to hunt. [73], Whereas these bushfires are regarded by the NSW Rural Fire Service as the worst bushfire season in memory for that state,[74] the 1974–75 bushfires were nationally much larger[b] consuming 117 million hectares (290 million acres; 1,170,000 square kilometres; 450,000 square miles). [91], In the Port Macquarie-Hastings area, the first fire was reported at Lindfield Park on 18 July 2019,[122] burning in dry peat swamp and threatened homes at Sovereign Hills and crossed the Pacific Highway at Sancrox. [273] While the carbon emitted by the fires would normally be reabsorbed by forest regrowth, this would take decades and might not happen at all if prolonged drought has damaged the ability of forests to fully regrow. 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. [275] On 1 January 2020, the AQI around Monash, a suburb of Canberra, was measured at 4,650, or more than 23 times hazardous level and peaked at 7,700. Approximately 4,000 people, including 3,000 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. [511] A telethon conducted with the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks raised more than A$2 million. The analysis by the Bushfire CRC, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research found that the number of "very high" fire danger days generally increases 2–13% by 2020 for the low scenarios (global increase by 0.4 °C (0.72 °F)) and 10–30% for the high scenarios (global increase by 1.0 °C (1.8 °F)). [citation needed], The first day of two-day cricket tour match between a Victoria XI and New Zealand in Melbourne was cancelled due to extreme heat conditions. Every state and territory in Australia has experienced fires this summer. No homes were confirmed lost in this bushfire. [444][445] NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, in response to the funding cut claims, stated "that it is rubbish, it is misinformation, it's being misrepresented and I think it is disgracefully being misrepresented here today". [citation needed], Firefighters described what they believed to be a tornado generated by the fire storm, which began flattening trees and flipped a small fire vehicle. [47] The last fire of the season occurred in Lake Clifton, Western Australia, in early May.[48]. [29][30] As of 2 January 2020, NASA estimated that 306 million tonnes (337 million short tons) of CO2 had been emitted. The State of Emergency declared in Canberra gives extra power and resources to fire authorities, allowing them to force evacuations if necessary. [198], On 6 January 2020, Andrews said that bushfires had burnt through 1.2 million hectares (3 million acres) in Victoria's east and north-east and that 200 homes were confirmed lost. Tens of thousands of farm animals, mainly sheep, were also killed in the fire on the island. [114] In 2019–20, the fire season started early with drought affecting 95 percent of the state and persistent dry and warm conditions across the state. [222] Yearly Christmas celebrations at Lobethal were cancelled. [189] On 20 December, the Marthavale-Barmouth Spur expanded, greatly endangering the community of Tambo Crossing. [245][246] On 20 December 2019, a fire was started in the north east, which spread to 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) and destroyed one home; a man was charged with starting the fire. How is this possible? Part of the fire was burning in inaccessible country and continued to head in a north-westerly direction towards Bombala as well as northerly to just south of Nethercote. [268], While the full extent of the current bushfires is yet to be measured, there have been a number of large scale bushfires recorded in Australian history. (CNN) Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia's devastating bushfires … [308][309], On 24 December 2019, the Morrison Government announced that volunteer firefighters employed in the Commonwealth public service would be offered at least 20 working days paid leave. [citation needed] As of 2 January 2020[update], the Currowan fire was burning between Batemans Bay in the south, Nowra in the north, and east of Braidwood in the west. Additionally, Defence announced that it would deploy HMAS Adelaide to support other Navy ships in evacuations and relief, as well additional Chinook helicopters and military transport aircraft to RAAF Base East Sale. Title reads: "Forest Fire in Australia". [250][251] The first death directly linked to the poor air quality was also recorded on 2 January. Over 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) was burnt and the fire was out of control. The false claims are, in some cases, used to undermine the link between the current bushfires and the longer, more intense fire seasons brought about by climate change." [40], During the ensuing crisis, an air tanker[41] and two helicopters[42][43] crashed during firefighting operations, the air tanker crash resulting in the deaths of the three crew. This effect increases over time, but should be directly observable by 2020. As of 14 January 2020[update], 18.626 million hectares (46.03 million acres) was burnt or is burning across all Australian states and territories. This fire joined up with the Stockyard Creek fire and together with the Coombes Gap fire and swept east towards Willawarrin, Temagog, Birdwood, Yarras, Bellangary, Kindee and Upper Rollands Plains. It aims to stop excessive tree-clearing, protect the existing trees and forests, and restore native habitat that has been lost. [115] Twelve local government areas started the Bush Fire Danger Period two months early, on 1 August 2019,[116] and nine more started on 17 August 2019. Convoys of donated food, clothing and livestock feed were sent to affected areas. [85] An investigation is underway by the ATSB to determine the cause of the accident. [81][82][83], On 23 January 2020, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules air tanker crashed at Peak View near Cooma while waterbombing a blaze, resulting in the death of the three American crew members on board. [285], Ecologists feared some endangered species were driven to extinction by the fires. [503][495][494] The Wiggles performed a concert on 17 and 18 January,[504] and on 16 February at Stadium Australia in Sydney, the Fire Fight Australia concert featured local and international acts. [241] A local politician, firefighters, farmers and tourism operators called on Western Australian Emergency Minister Fran Logan to invest in local firefighting assets for the area to make sure the tourist destination was properly protected. [276], On New Year's Day 2020 in New Zealand, a blanket of smoke from the Australian fires covered the whole South Island, giving the sky an orange-yellow haze. Three people - including one firefighter - have died as a result of the fires. [158] On 2 January, the fire hit the popular and historic Jenolan Caves area, destroying multiple buildings including the local fire station. [506] Many cricket players, such as international representatives Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Renshaw and Fawad Ahmed pledged to donate money for every wicket and/or six during the remainder of the Australian cricket season. [288] At least one species, the Kate's leaf-tailed gecko, had the entirety of its habitat burnt by the fires, while the long-footed potoroo had over 82% habitat burnt. [293] NASA estimated that the number of dead koalas could be as high as 25,000 or about half the total population of the species on the island. [467], Soon after, Morrison released a video on behalf of the Liberal Party regarding deployment of military assets to respond to the bushfire crisis, for which he was widely criticised. [223], Also on 20 December, an out-of-control bushfire took hold near Angle Vale, starting from the Northern Expressway and burning through Buchfelde and across the Gawler River. Land around Nowendoc and Yarrowich was also burnt. They called on the next prime minister[e] to meet the former emergency service leaders "who will outline, unconstrained by their former employers, how climate change risks are rapidly escalating". From September 2019 until March 2020, when the final fire was extinguished, Australia had one of the worst bush fires in history. [203], All significant fires in Victoria, including the Snowy Complex fire, were declared contained on 27 February 2020. The following day, after worsening conditions, the fire was upgraded to an emergency warning and began to threaten homes in the local community. [155] As the fire moved north, authorities closed the M5 Motorway due to smoke conditions and prepared for the fire to impact the New Brighton housing estate. [464], On 4 January, volunteer firefighter Paul Parker, from Nelligen, rose to fame after he stopped his firetruck next to a Channel 7 news crew, and used colourful language to denounce what he perceived as an inadequate response by Morrison. The fire impacted a large industrial area and threatened numerous properties before being brought under control by 9:30 pm. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [53] The political ramifications of the fire season have been significant. Trouvez les Forest Fire Australia images et les photos d’actualités parfaites sur Getty Images. [495], Corporate organisations to make donations or pledges included the Seven Group and Kerry Stokes' private investment firm, ACE Capital Equity, a combined total of A$10 million;[496] Tim Cook from Apple, an undisclosed amount;[497] the NAB and News Corp Australia, A$5 million each; Coles Group, A$4 million (of which A$3 million was in gift cards); the Australian Football League, A$2.5 million; BHP, A$2 million; Westpac and Woolworths, A$1.5 million each; Facebook, A$1.25 million; and Amazon, the ANZ Bank, the Atlassian Foundation, the Commonwealth Bank,[g] Orica, Qantas, and Rio Tinto, A$1 million each;[495] and Canva and the San Diego Zoo, A$500,000 each. [279] The smoke affected glaciers in the country, giving a brown tint to the snow. [190], On 30 December 2019, there were three active fires in East Gippsland with a combined area of more than 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres), and another in the north-east of the state near Walwa heading south-east towards Cudgewa. [149] On New Year's Eve there were fears of this fire impacting the towns of Mittagong, Braemar, and surrounding areas. A fire in the Fingal Valley, in north-eastern Tasmania, started on 29 December, and a fire at Pelham, north of Hobart, started on 30 December. Fanned by near catastrophic conditions, the fire grew considerably on 8 November 2019 and consumed nearly everything in its path. Political figures from outside Australia including Donald Trump,[329] Cory Booker,[330] Hillary Clinton,[331] Al Gore,[331] Bernie Sanders,[331] Greta Thunberg,[332][333] and Elizabeth Warren[330] all publicly commented about the fires. In an attempt to protect the Blue Mountains from the Gospers Mountain bushfire, firefighters commenced a large backburn on 14 December in the Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine areas. [9], In April 2019 a group of former Australian fire services chiefs, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, warned that Australia was not prepared for the upcoming fire season. [166], As of 5 January 2020[update], in the Bega Valley Shire, the Border fire that started in north-eastern Victoria was burning north into New South Wales towards the major town of Eden, and had impacted the settlements of Wonboyn and surrounding areas including Kiah, Lower Towamba and parts of Boydtown. In December 2019, Australia had been ranked worst in terms of policy, and sixth worst overall, out of 57 countries assessed on the Climate Change Performance Index, with the Morrison government labelled "an increasingly regressive force. [267], The Northern Territory went through a relatively average annual bushfire season with respect to area of land burnt, in comparison to the scale of bushfires witnessed in other areas of Australia. [193] Despite the recommendation that large portions of East Gippsland be evacuated, approximately 30,000 holiday makers chose to remain in the region. [citation needed], 2019 Rally Australia, planned to be the final round of the 2019 World Rally Championship, was a motor racing event scheduled to be held in Coffs Harbour across 14–17 November. Elsewhere in South Australia, the Cudlee Creek fire is reported to have destroyed more than 80 homes in the Adelaide Hills region in late December. [277] The MetService stated that the smoke would not have any adverse affects on the weather or temperature in the country. We were witnessing the rebirth of a forest that Australia is so well-known for," he said. This fire claimed one life at Johns River,[127] where it also destroyed homes, and burnt more than 12,000 hectares (29,653 acres). [citation needed] An evacuation warning was issued for the East Gippsland town of Goongerah, which is surrounded by high-value old growth forests, as well as Cudgewa. [397] Exacerbating the effects of diminished rainfall in this drought has been a record breaking run of above average monthly temperatures, lasting 36 months to October 2019. The fire was believed to have started from a sparking electrical transformer. [209], On 11 November a fire started in the Ravensbourne area near Toowoomba, which burnt through over 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of bush across several days, destroying six houses. [263][264] An emergency warning was declared for Tharwa and the southern suburbs of Canberra – particularly Banks, Gordon, and Conder — just after 1:30 pm AEST on 28 January. [235] By 16 December, the fire was considered contained and the alert downgraded to watch and act. The team landed in RAAF Base Richmond in New South Wales on the same day, according to the Indonesian Embassy on 3 February 2020, the troops will be deployed on the Blue Mountains area.[349][350][351]. The estimate was based on a 2007 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report on impacts of land clearing on Australian wildlife in New South Wales that provided estimates of mammal, bird and reptile population density in the region. [202], On 20 February 2020, the huge East Gippsland bushfire that had burned for three months was declared "contained" by Bairnsdale incident controller Brett Mitchell. People in Dunedin reported smelling smoke in the air. On 4 January 2020, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh sent a message of condolence to Governor-General David Hurley, sending their "thoughts and prayers to all Australians at this difficult time". Mongabay spoke with Cheyne Flanagan from the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital to discuss the marsupial’s current status in the aftermath of the Australian bushfires. [311] On 4 January 2020, it announced that it would lease four waterbombing planes including two long-range DC-10s and two medium-range for use by state and territory governments. We found that about 40% of the fires are burning on legally protected areas like national parks and conservation zones, areas especially important for animals that reside only in Australia’s unique forest ecosystems, such as koalas and brush-tailed rock wallabies. In June 2019, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August. Hot and windy conditions are forecast to return to many parts of New South Wales this weekend and authorities in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have declared a state of emergency as massive bushfires rage south of Canberra. ", "Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook: December 2019 – HAZARD NOTES", "Bush Fire Danger Period and Fire Permits", "NSW RFS declares start of Bush Fire Danger Period", "Australia fires: Heavy rain extinguishes third of blazes in NSW", "Australia weather: How much rain did it take to put out NSW fires? An Emergency Warning was issued for Bendoc, Bendoc Upper, and Bendoc North on 30 January. [132] With the situation worsening, repeated calls from competitors (most of which were European-based) to cancel the event prevailed with the event cancelled on 12 November. [356] A specialist six person animal disaster response team were deployed by non-profit Animal Evac New Zealand[357] on 8 January to New South Wales,[358] assisting with wildlife rescue and supported by SAFE. At nearby Lake Conjola, numerous homes were lost as the embers jumped across the lake, landing in gutters and lighting up houses. At 1:30 pm, an Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter conducting reconnaissance for landing sites for remote area firefighting teams attempted to land for a break when their landing light ignited a fire in dry grass. Approximately 10 hectares (25 acres) and a number of historic Monterey pine trees were burnt. Ecologists Hope It Lasts After devastating fires, there are signs of regrowth across much of eastern Australia… Animals that survived a bushfire could still find suitable habitats in the immediate vicinity, which was not the case when an entire distribution is decimated in an intense event. [23][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][41], In New South Wales, the fires burnt through more land than any other blazes in the past 25 years, in addition to being the state's worst bushfire season on record. [473][474] Requiring the approval of the state and territory governments, the Commonwealth Government drafted terms of reference. [204], On 7 September 2019 multiple out of control blazes threatened townships across south-eastern and northern Queensland, destroying eleven houses in Beechmont, seven houses in Stanthorpe, and one house at Mareeba. The difference between the two temperatures is currently the strongest in 60 years. The Inquiry found that climate change played a major role in the summer's fires. [150], The Sydney City fireworks display was allowed to continue with a special exemption from fire authorities, despite protests. [127], North-west of Harrington near the Cattai Wetlands a fire started on 28 October, this fire threatened the towns of Harrington, Crowdy Head and Johns River as it burnt north towards Dunbogan. Water bombers were delayed the following day in attempts to bring the fire burning in swampland to the south west of Port Macquarie under control. [465][466] The video became popular in the days after. The Blue Mountains bushfires are the worst conditions I've ever faced", "Opinion: Come with me to the mega-blaze, Scott Morrison, and see what we're up against", "Australia fires: A visual guide to the bushfires and extreme heat", "Worst bushfire conditions ever seen: Unprecedented danger is 'a firefighter's nightmare, "New South Wales, December 1974 Bushfire – New South Wales", "Australia declares state of emergency as heatwave fans bushfires", "Australia all-time temperature record broken again", "Councils cancel New Years Eve fireworks as fire risk rises", "Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks to go ahead, some suburbs cancelled", "NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declares state of emergency, as thousands flee South Coast ahead of horror fire weekend", "NSW fires: State of emergency declared as PM urges calm amid mass exodus", "NSW state of emergency declared as 17 missing in Victoria bushfires – as it happened", "Three dead after Large Air Tanker crashes while fighting bushfires in southern NSW", "Australian Prime Minister says four more large air tankers will be ordered", "Probe into fatal Australia bushfire plane crash complicated by dangers", "Canberra escapes worst as fires rage on", "Southerly change creates challenge for fire crews", "Rain deluge in eastern Australia set to extinguish NSW bushfires this week", "Australia's catastrophic bushfire season", "Bushfires: more than 20 homes lost as more than 70 blazes rage in Queensland and NSW", "Three more homes lost in Queensland bushfires as 40-degree heatwave arrives", "Homes destroyed and trio hurt as bushfires rage in Lowmead, Mount Maria areas", "Crews to be pulled from fire zones as heavy rains tipped to lash state", "Father-of-two Mat Kavanagh identified as third Victorian bushfire victim", "Kangaroo Island bushfire likely to continue for weeks, with flare-ups every afternoon", "Adelaide Hills bushfire has destroyed 86 homes, SA Premier says", "ACT Emergency Services Agency Operational Review of the Bushfire Season 2019/20", "BUSHFIRES – AN INTEGRAL PART OF AUSTRALIA'S ENVIRONMENT", "National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management, Council of Australian Governments", "How the 2019 Australian bushfire season compares to other fire disasters", "Australia fires live: third death in Victoria confirmed as NSW bushfires communities assess damage – latest updates", "How heat and drought turned Australia into a tinderbox", "Australian bushfires: Garnaut report predicts 'observable' increase of fire intensity by 2020", "Former fire chiefs warn Australia unprepared for escalating climate threat", "Former fire chiefs 'tried to warn Scott Morrison' to bring in more water-bombers ahead of horror bushfire season", "Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook: August 2019 – HAZARD NOTES", "Bushfire outlook for 2019–20 not good news, but will we heed the warnings? [306] With brush-tailed rock-wallabies and much of the indigenous wildlife population in parts of New South Wales were left without food or water, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service airdropped approximately 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) vegetables on the known habitats. Residents and visitors to the Kosciuszko National Park were evacuated and the national park was closed. 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. [372], The United Arab Emirates sent 200 volunteers from the Emirates Red Crescent to help fight the fire, including Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi. [259], On 27 January 2020 a bushfire started in the Orroral Valley in the Namadgi National Park. [260][261][262] The aircrew waited until landing at Canberra Airport at about 2:15 pm to notify the ACT Emergency Services Agency meanwhile a fire tower had spotted white smoke at 1:49 pm and a search had commenced to locate the fire. [191][192], Fires reached the town of Mallacoota by around 8 am AEDT on 31 December 2019. [437] Giovanni Torre wrote for The Telegraph that "Australia's bushfire crisis has led to what appears to be a deliberate misinformation campaign started by climate-change deniers claiming arson is the primary cause of the ongoing fires... Social media accounts, including Donald Trump Jr's Twitter account, circulated the false claim that 183 people had been arrested for arson during the Australian fire crisis..."[438] 183 people were subject to legal action, but only 24 for "deliberately-lit bushfires". [422] Furthermore, the amount of prescribed burning in southeastern Australia has been stated to have increased in recent years, following the recommendation for increased prescribed burning from the 2009 Black Saturday Royal Commission. [172][173][174][175][176][177], The Dunns Road fire was believed to have been started by a lightning strike on 28 December in a private pine plantation near Adelong.