NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ash Wednesday fires

The Ash Wednesday fires were a series of forest fires which occurred on February 16, 1983 in south-east Australia, resulting in a natural disaster. The fires were widespread across Victoria, including the Dandenong Ranges and Macedon Ranges, the Otway Ranges and near Warrnambool on the south west coast. Fires were also out of control across South Australia, primarily in the Adelaide Hills but also the Clare Valley and the pine forests of the state's south east. VIC redirects here. ... For the song, see South Australia (song). ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Fields outside Benambra, Victoria, Australia suffering from drought conditions A drought is an extended period of months, or years, when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... Mount Pinatubo eruption, 1991 A natural disaster is according to or provided by nature. ... VIC redirects here. ... The Dandenong Ranges are a set of mountain ranges, east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Otway is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 162 km southwest of Melbourne. ... Warrnambool is a regional city of 29,500 people on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia, located in the municipality City of Warrnambool. ... For the song, see South Australia (song). ... The Waterfall Gully waterfall in the Adelaide Foothills The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. ... The Clare township The Clare Valley is one of Australias oldest and most famous wine regions, and also one of the most scenic, presenting visitors with a series of small intimate valleys and magnificent views Settlers from England, Ireland and Poland first moved into the region during the 1840...

The Ash Wednesday fires remain the worst bushfire disaster in Australian history, claiming 75 lives and destroying more than two thousand homes. Backburning in Townsville, Australia. ...

Background

El Nino

As 1982 came to a close, large areas of eastern Australia lay devastated by a prolonged drought caused by the El Niño climatic cycle. In many places, rainfall over winter and spring had been the lowest on record, and severe water restrictions were imposed in Melbourne in November. On November 24, the earliest Total Fire Ban in forty years was proclaimed in Victoria. By February 1983, summer rainfall for Victoria was up to 75% less than in previous years. The first week of February was punctuated by intense heat, with record high temperatures experienced on February 1 and February 8. This combination further destabilised an already volatile fire situation in the forested upland areas surrounding the Victorian and South Australian capitals Melbourne and Adelaide. Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [Â°C] during the last strong El NiÃ±o in December 1997 El NiÃ±o and La NiÃ±a (also written in English as El Nino and La Nina) are major temperature fluctuations in surface waters of the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre (also known as The CBD). ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ...

Early fire season

Victorian Government firefighting agencies employed extra staff and organised for additional equipment and aircraft to be ready for firefighting over the summer. The first big bushfire occurred on November 25, 1982 and was followed by large fires on December 3 and December 13, 1982. Even before February 16, fires were already causing destruction in Victoria. An ongoing fire near Cann River in the state's east had been burning uncontrolled for almost a month. Prior to that, a major bushfire on January 8 had taken hold north of Bacchus Marsh in the Wombat State Forest where two Forest Commission workers lost their lives defending Greendale. On February 1, a fire burnt the north face of Mount Macedon and areas of state forest.^[1] Fifty houses were destroyed. These fires were already creating a strain on firefighting resources. is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Cann River is a town in Victoria, Australia, located at the junction of the Princes Highway and Monaro Highway, in the East Gippsland Shire. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Bacchus Marsh is a town in Victoria, Australia. ... Greendale is a town in central Victoria, Australia. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mount Macedon is a small town located 60 kilometres northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. ...

Dust storm

An ominous sign of things to come occurred on the afternoon of 8 February, when Melbourne was enveloped by a giant dust storm. The dust cloud was over 300 metres high and 500 kilometres long and was composed of thousands of tonnes of topsoil from the drought-ravaged Wimmera and Mallee areas of northwest Victoria. Leading a dry cool change and preceded by record temperatures, the dust storm cut visibility in Melbourne to 100 metres, creating near darkness for almost an hour.^[2] is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria. ... The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria. ...

Events of February 16th

Wednesday February 16th — coincidentally Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar — dawned as another unrelentingly hot, dry day. The weather early on Ash Wednesday was complex and did not signify how the day would develop. A front separated hot, dry air coming in from the landmass to the north, from cooler air moving eastwards from the Southern Ocean. Ahead of the front was hot, turbulent, gale force northerly winds. Temperatures around Melbourne and Adelaide quickly rose above 43°C, with winds gusting over 50 km/h and relative humidity plunging to as low as 6 per cent. From mid-morning McArthur's fire danger index was in excess of 100 in several places in Victoria and South Australia. It would be one of the worst fire weather days in southeast Australia since the disastrous Black Friday bushfires in 1939.^[3] In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. ... A hygrometer used to measure the humidity of air. ... beutifle noghmare is the best band In the days preceding the fires, Melbourne experienced some of its hottest temperatures on record: 43. ...

The first reports of smoke, in South Australia's Clare Valley, came just after 1:00pm. Multiple reports of breaking fires quickly began to deluge Victoria's and South Australia's emergency services. In Victoria alone, 180 fires were reported, eight of which became major fires. Outer metropolitan areas of both Melbourne and Adelaide were threatened. At one stage, the entire Melbourne metropolitan area was encircled by an arc of fire. Property loss began early in the afternoon, particularly in the Adelaide Hills and Otways.^[4] The Clare township The Clare Valley is one of Australias oldest and most famous wine regions, and also one of the most scenic, presenting visitors with a series of small intimate valleys and magnificent views Settlers from England, Ireland and Poland first moved into the region during the 1840...

Murray Nicoll, a journalist from radio station 5DN and resident of the Adelaide Hills, reported live from his local area where five people died: Radio 5DN is one of Adelaides longest running radio callsigns, however in its 80 years it has changed a lot- especially in recent times. ...

The most disastrous factor in the Ash Wednesday fires occurred when a fierce and dry wind change swept across South Australia and Victoria. This abruptly changed the direction and increased the intensity of the fires. The long corridors of flame that had been driven all day by the strong northerly were suddenly hit by gale force south-westerly winds and become enormous fire fronts, many kilometres wide, reportedly moving faster than 100 km/h^[6]. The near-cyclonic strength of the front created an unstoppable firestorm which destroyed whole townships in minutes. It is estimated that the bulk of the deaths and destruction occurred in the hour after the change. The freakish conditions spawned unique effects: one survivor reported seeing a burning mattress hurtling through the air.^[7] The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for the intensity of the wind based mainly on sea-state or wave conditions. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

In the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne, the townships of Cockatoo and Belgrave Heights were devastated. An estimated 90% of homes in Upper Beaconsfield were razed, with twelve volunteer firefighters losing their lives after being trapped by a wall of flames as the wind change struck. Most of Macedon and much of historic Mount Macedon to the north west of Melbourne was destroyed, including many significant 19th century mansions and famed gardens. The morning after Ash Wednesday, popular coastal towns along the Great Ocean Road such as Aireys Inlet, Anglesea and Lorne resembled barren moonscapes. The fire here had been so intense that firefighters were forced to abandon all control efforts and let it burn until it reached the ocean, destroying everything in its path.^[8] The Dandenong Ranges are a set of mountain ranges, east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... A town in the Yarra Ranges, 50kms east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, named after the Australian native bird found in large numbers in the area. ... Belgrave Heights is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Beaconsfield Upper is a town in the Dandenong Ranges beyond the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... This article is about the profession. ... Macedon is a town on the Calder Freeway between Melbourne and Bendigo in the Macedon Ranges in central Victoria, Australia. ... Mount Macedon is a small town located 64 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. ... The Great Ocean Road is a 273km stretch of road along the South Eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Geelong and Warrnambool. ... Aireys Inlet is a small coastal inlet and town located on the Great Ocean Road, South-West of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Anglesea, including the tidal river mouth, seen from the Great Ocean Road. ... Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. ...

In total, forty-seven people died in Victoria and twenty-eight in South Australia. 3,700 buildings were razed and 2,545 individuals and families lost their homes. The total land area burnt was approximately 2,100 km² (518,921 acres) in Victoria and 2,080 km² (513,979 acres) in South Australia. The summer bushfires of 1982/1983 razed approximately 5,200 km² (1,284,000 acres).^[9]

Aftermath

Many of the Victorian fires were thought to have been caused by sparks between short-circuiting power lines, and tree branches connecting with power lines. A systematic review of fire safety was undertaken; areas under high tension pylons were cleared and local domestic lines considered to be at risk were replaced with insulated three-phase supply lines.

In South Australia, an inquest into the fires found that the communication systems used by the Country Fire Service were inadequate and, as a result, the Government radio network was installed, although this did not happen until almost 20 years later.^[10] Improvements in weather forecasting, with particular reference to wind changes and fronts, was undertaken by the Bureau of Meteorology. An emergency disaster plan was also legislated known as Displan. Many of the lessons learned in building better homes for fire survival, bush management and emergency response efficiency in analysis of the fires conducted by the CSIRO were to prove vital in later crises, including the 1994 Eastern seaboard and 2003 Canberra fire outbreaks.^[11] Grass fire at Willunga. ... â€œGRNâ€ redirects here. ... The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... The 1994 Eastern seaboard fires were bushfires in New South Wales, Australia between 27 December 1993 and 16 January 1994 were widespread along the NSW coast from Bega to the Queensland border and inland as far as Bathurst. ... 2003 Canberra bushfires The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. ...

A study was conducted into the 32 fatalities (excluding firefighters) that occurred in Victoria. It revealed that 25 were outside their homes, several of whom died in vehicles while attempting to escape the conflagration. It was found that delaying evacuation until the last minute was a common failing.^[12]

Legacy

Along with Cyclone Tracy, Ash Wednesday is arguably the natural disaster to have had the greatest impact on the Australian national psyche. It continues to be used as the measure for all bushfire emergencies in Australia, most notably the 2003 Canberra bushfires, which experienced very similar severe fire weather. The disaster is the highest bushfire on the list of disasters in Australia by death toll, with 75 deaths.^[13] Lowest pressure 950 hPa (mbar)[1] Damage $4 billion (1998 AUD)[2] $2. ... Backburning in Townsville, Australia. ... 2003 Canberra bushfires The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. ... This is a list of disasters in Australia sorted by death toll This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ...

Over two decades have passed since the disaster yet victims and their families still suffer the effects of that day. Many psychological studies were undertaken in the months and years after the fire and found that the events left many in the affected communities with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).^[14] Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a term for the psychological consequences of exposure to or confrontation with stressful experiences, which involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury or a threat to physical integrity and which the person found highly traumatic. ...

The lasting impact of the Ash Wednesday disaster was highlighted in 2008, when its 25th anniversary received much public and media attention.^[15] Commemoration sites have been set up in areas that were hit worse by the fires, with museums hosting exhibits inviting survivors to tell their stories.^[16]

Areas affected in Victoria

Trentham is a small town in Hepburn Shire, Victoria, Australia. ... Mount Macedon is a small town located 64 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. ... Otway is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 162 km southwest of Melbourne. ... Belgrave Heights is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Beaconsfield Upper is a town in the Dandenong Ranges beyond the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... A town in the Yarra Ranges, 50kms east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, named after the Australian native bird found in large numbers in the area. ... Warburton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

See also

This is a list of disasters in Australia sorted by death toll This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... Grass fire at Willunga. ... The Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides fire fighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of... Mount Lofty Summit Looking towards Mount Lofty Summit, with Mount Lofty Hotel in the foreground and Gulf St. ... beutifle noghmare is the best band In the days preceding the fires, Melbourne experienced some of its hottest temperatures on record: 43. ...

References

^ Ash Wednesday. Gisborne CFA. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
^ The Melbourne dust-storm of February 1983. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
^ High Risk Weather Pattersn - South Australia. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ McGarry, Andrew (16 February 2008). Ash Wednesday can happen again. The Australian. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
^ Ash Wednesday. New Dimensions in Time. ABC. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
^ 16th February, 1983. Narre Warren Fire Brigade. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Ash Wednesday, February 1983. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Ash Wednesday archive footage, Channel 7 News report 1983. MyTalk.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Hazards, Disasters, and Your Community (PDF). Emergency Management Australia. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ General Network Information. South Australian Government Radio Network page. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Understanding building infrastructure performance in bushfires. CSIRO. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
^ Schauble, John (13 January 2005). When making the right choice is a matter of life and death. The Age. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
^ Ash Wednesday 1983. Department of Sustainability and the Environment. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Press release (16 February 2003). Lessons learned from Ash Wednesday. University of Adelaide. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
^ Burgess, Matthew (16 February 2008). Ash Wednesday scars remain 25 years on. The Age. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
^ Ashley Walsh (16 February 2008). Ash Wednesday Exhibition at Prospect Hill. ABC Adelaide. abc.net.au. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian is a national daily broadsheet newspaper published by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bureau of Meteorology is an Executive Agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... Emergency Management Australia (EMA) is an Australian Federal Government Agency tasked with coordinating governmental responses to emergency incidents. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is the national government body for scientific research in Australia. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Adelaide (colloquially Adelaide University or Adelaide Uni) is a public university located in Adelaide. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC (formerly the Australian Broadcasting Commission) is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

2003 Canberra bushfires The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. ... The Chatsbury Bush Fire of 1965 was a series of devastating bushfires that destroyed the the Southern Highlands, New South Wales village of Tallong and most of its orchards. ... The 1994 Eastern seaboard fires were bushfires in New South Wales, Australia between 27 December 1993 and 16 January 1994 were widespread along the NSW coast from Bega to the Queensland border and inland as far as Bathurst. ... The Black Christmas bushfires were bushfires that burnt for almost three weeks from 25 December 2001 across New South Wales, Australia. ... Jail Break Inn Fire was started by a cigarette butt near the Jail Break Inn 8km west of Junee, New South Wales Australia on New Years Day 2006. ... Pulletop bushfire Pulletop bushfire started on the 6 February 2006 in hot dry and windy weather conditions about 30 km southeast of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. ... Satellite photo of the Eyre Peninsula bushfires, taken on January 11 2005 In January 2005, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, was the scene of a devastating bushfire in which nine people were killed and at least 113 injured. ... The 1967 Tasmanian fires were an Australian natural disaster which occurred on 7 February 1967, an event which became known as the Black Tuesday bushfires. ... beutifle noghmare is the best band In the days preceding the fires, Melbourne experienced some of its hottest temperatures on record: 43. ... On 2 December 1998, a wildfire burned through private land and state forest near the township of Linton, Victoria. ... The Dwellingup fires (20 to 24 January and 24 February to early March, 1961) were a series of devastating bushfires that burned large areas of forest in the southwest of Western Australia. ... The 2006-07 Australian bushfire season had an early start with fires in spring time. ...

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