User:Aoziwe/sandbox/201920bfslead

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The 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season[b] commenced with serious uncontrolled fires in June 2019.[17] Hundreds of fires, including megafires, have been, or still are burning, mainly in the south east of the continent.

As of 14 January 2020, fires this season have burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres; 72,000 square miles),[18] destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes)[19] and killed at least 30 people.[20][21][22][c] An estimated one billion animals have been killed and some endangered species may be driven to extinction.[23][24][25] Air quality has dropped to hazardous levels.[26] The cost of dealing with the bushires is expected to exceed the $4.4 billion of the 2009 Black Saturday fires,[27] and tourism sector revenues have fallen more than $1 billion.[28] By 7 January 2020, the smoke had moved approximately 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi) across the South Pacific Ocean to Chile and Argentina.[29][30] As of 2 January 2020, NASA estimated that 306 million tonnes (337 million short tons) of CO2 had been emitted.[31][32]

From September 2019 fires heavily impacted various regions of the state of New South Wales. In eastern and north-eastern Victoria large areas of forest burnt out of control for four weeks before the fires emerged from the forests in late December. Multiple states of emergency have been declared across New South Wales[33][34][35] and Victoria.[36] Reinforcements from all over Australia were called in to assist fighting the fires and relieve exhausted local crews in New South Wales. The Australian Defence Force was mobilised to provide air support to the firefighting effort, and to provide manpower and logistical support.[37][38] Firefighters and equipment from New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and the United States, among others, helped fight the fires, especially in New South Wales.[39]

There has been considerable debate regarding the underlying cause of the intensity and scale of the fires, including the role of fire management practices and climate change, and has attracted significant international attention. Politicians have received very mixed receptions when visiting areas devastated by the fires. Many millions of dollars has been donated by the public at large, international organisations, public figures and celebrities for victim relief and wildlife recovery. Convoys of donated food, clothing and livestock feed have been sent to affected areas.

Overview[edit]

From September 2019 fires heavily impacted various regions of the state of New South Wales, such as the North Coast, Mid North Coast, the Hunter Region, the Hawkesbury and the Wollondilly in Sydney's far west, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and the South Coast, Riverina and Snowy Mountains with more than 100 fires burnt across the state. In eastern and north-eastern Victoria large areas of forest burnt out of control for four weeks before the fires emerged from the forests in late December, taking lives, threatening many towns and isolating Corryong and Mallacoota. A state of disaster was declared for East Gippsland.[40] Significant fires occurred in the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Moderately affected areas were south-eastern Queensland and areas of south-western Western Australia, with a few areas in Tasmania and the ACT being mildly impacted.

Whereas these bushfires are regarded by the NSW Rural Fire Service as the worst bushfire season in memory for that state,[41] the 1974 bushfires were nationally much larger[c] consuming 117 million hectares (290 million acres; 1,170,000 square kilometres; 450,000 square miles).[42] However, due to their lower intensity and remote location, the 1974 fires caused around $5 million (about $36.5 million in 2020[43]) in damages.[42] In December 2019 the New South Wales Government declared a state of emergency after record-breaking temperatures and prolonged drought exacerbated the bushfires.[44][45]

On 11 November the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) was sending in a large contingent of up to 300 firefighters and support staff to assist.[46] By mid-November 2019, more than 100 firefighters were sent from Western Australia.[47] Contingents were also sent from South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.[47][46]

On 12 November 2019, catastrophic fire danger was declared in the Greater Sydney region for the first time since the introduction of this level in 2009 and a total fire ban was in place for seven regions, including Greater Sydney.[48] The Illawarra and Greater Hunter areas also experienced catastrophic fire dangers, and so did other parts of the state, including the already fire ravaged parts of northern New South Wales.[49] The political ramifications of the fire season have been significant. A decision by the New South Wales Government to cut funding to fire services based on budget estimates, as well as a holiday taken by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, during a period in which two volunteer firefighters died, and his perceived apathy towards the situation, resulted in controversy.

Bushfire smoke over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge on 29 December

As of 14 January 2020, 18.626 million hectares (46.03 million acres) was burnt or is burning across all Australian states and territories.[18] Ecologists from The University of Sydney estimated 480 million mammals, birds, and reptiles were lost since September with concerns entire species of plants and animals may have been wiped out by bushfire,[50][51] later expanded to more than a billion.[52]

Since the start of the season, the ongoing bushfires have destroyed 2,176 homes, as well as 48 facilities and more than 2,000 outbuildings in New South Wales alone.[53][54][55][56][57] Twenty people were confirmed to have been killed in New South Wales since October. The latest fatality was reported on 5 January 2020 following the death of a man in Batlow.[58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66]

In New South Wales, the fires had burnt through more land than any other blazes in the past 25 years, in addition to be being the state's worst bushfire season on record.[67][68][69] NSW also experienced the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in Australia's history, having burnt more than 4 million hectares (9,900,000 acres), with 70-metre-high (230 ft) flames being reported.[70] In comparison, the 2018 California wildfires consumed 800,000 hectares (2,000,000 acres) and the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires burnt 900,000 hectares (2,200,000 acres) of land.[71]

Due to safety concerns and significant public pressure, New Year's Eve fireworks displays were cancelled across New South Wales including highly popular events at Campbelltown, Liverpool, Parramatta, and across Sydney's Northern Beaches, and as well in the nation's capital of Canberra.[72][73] As temperatures reached 49 °C (120 °F), the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian called a fresh seven-day state of emergency with effect from 9am on 3 January 2020.[74][75][76]

State / territory Fatalities Homes
lost
Area
(estimated)
Notes
ha acres
Australian Capital Territory 1 0 0 0 No major bushfires in ACT. NSW bushfire smoke blew into the ACT causing dangerous pollution, leading to one death[77]
New South Wales 76 2,176 5,200,000 12,800,000 Area;[18] fatalities;[78] homes[79]
Northern Territory 0 5 6,800,000 16,800,000 Area, includes mainly scrub fires, which are within the normal range of area burnt by bushfires each year;[18] homes[80]
Queensland 0 48 2,500,000 6,180,000 Area, includes scrub fires;[18] homes[80][d]
South Australia 3 151 490,000 1,210,000 Area;[18] fatalities;[85] homes (KI:65)[86] (AH:86)[87]
Tasmania 0 2 36,000 89,000 Area;[18] homes[80]
Victoria 5 396 1,400,000 3,460,000 Area;[18] fatalities;[21] homes[88]
Western Australia 0 1 2,200,000 5,440,000 Area, includes scrub fires;[18] homes[80]
Total 30 2,779 18,626,000 46,000,000 [e][c][92] Total area estimate as at 14 January 2020; current figure may be more

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "bushfire" is the Australian vernacularism for "wildfire"
  2. ^ There is no formal definition for a single bushfire[a] season across the whole of Australia. There is no one terminology used for periods of fire activity. The technical terms used for periods of fire risk and fire activity include:
    • fire weather season[1]
    • fire danger season[1][2]
    • bush fire danger period[3]
    • fire danger period[4][5]
    • fire permit period[6]
    • restricted burning times, and, prohibited burning times[7]
    • fire season[8]
    The term "Australian bushfire season", is a colloquialism broadly defined by common usage, from when the first uncontrolled fires start any time from June onwards,[9] typically shortened to "bushfire season", and applies mainly to southern and eastern Australia.[10] It can continue through to April.[11] Central and northern Australia have two separately defined fire seasons.[8][12] The colloqial term is typically used in conjunction with the technical terms when conveying information to the public.[13]
    The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines five "fire danger seasons", being times of peak bushfire activity, roughly corresponding to broad bands of latitude across the Australian continent:[1]
    • Winter and spring, across the most northern parts of Australia
    • Spring
    • Spring and summer
    • Summer
    • Summer and autumn, across the most southern parts of Australia
    Each Australian state and territory jurisdiction defines periods of peak fire risk or fire activity differently:
    • New South Wales has a default statutory "bush fire danger period" defined in law, from 1 October to 31 March.[3] The state government can then declare different start and end dates for bush fire danger periods for each local government area within the state. In 2019 these started 1 August.[14]
    • Victoria declares a "fire danger period" for each local government area. Victorian fire danger periods typically start in October and finish as late as May.[4]
    • The South Australia Government declares a "fire danger season" for each local government area, potentially starting in October and finishing at the end of April.[2]
    • The Tasmanian Government declares "fire permit period"s for local government areas. In 2019 this commenced 31 October.[6]
    • Western Australia requires each local government area to declare its own "restricted burning times" roughly aligned with spring and autumn, and "prohibited burning times" roughly aligned with summer.[15][16][7]
    • The Northern Territory defines two broad "fire season"s, a northern fire season, which can run from April to November, and a central Australian fire season, which can run from October to March.[8] The Government also refers to these as "fire danger period"s.[5]
  3. ^ a b c Comparison to other fires in Australia:
    • The 1974-75 bushfire season burnt over 100 million hectares (250 million acres), but there are different figures reported:
      • In 1995, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported 117 million hectares (290 million acres)[89]
      • The 2004 National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management reported a total of 102 million hectares (250 million acres)[90]
    The extent of the 1974-75 bushfire season was not known until after the event when satellite images were analysed, due to the fires being mostly located in very remote areas of the continent.[91]
    The 1974-75 season affected mainly arid and grass lands. 2019-20 season has so far affected mainly forested land.
  4. ^ Some sources are reporting 48 homes lost in Queensland.[81] Individual reports of Queensland home losses only amount to 45:
  5. ^ Compared to a country this would rank as the 87th largest, bigger than Syria.

References[edit]

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  4. ^ a b "Restrictions During the Fire Danger Period". Country Fire Association. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
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