INTERNATIONAL WILDFIRES (21ST CENTURY)

2006

ECOCIDE
noun
destruction of the natural environment,
especially when deliberate.

INTERNATIONAL WILDFIRES

(Largest Fires of the 21st Century)

Australian Bushfire
Season (2006-07)

(Swifts Creek, VIC)

(Original Image)

#11

LARGEST FIRE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The Official Story

2006–07 AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE SEASON
(11th Largest Fire of the 21st Century)

One of the most extensive bushfire seasons in Australia’s history. Victoria experienced the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in Australia’s history, with fires in the Victorian Alps and Gippsland burning over 1 million hectares of land over the course of 69 days.

The 2006–07 season included the Victorian Alpine Fire Complex which was the longest running collection of bushfires in Victoria’s history. On 1 December 2006, more than 70 fires were caused by lightning strikes in the Victorian Alps, many of which eventually merged to become the Great Divide Complex, which burned for 69 days across about a million hectares.

Despite the length of the season and amount of land burnt, the fires were contained to mostly unoccupied regions such as the Victorian Alps, national parks and remnant bushland. Evacuation plans were implemented in many small towns in these areas, a combination of these factors resulted in only one fatality as a result of the fires.

January 2007

In January 2007, several new bushfires were burning in the Gippsland region of Victoria. By 18 January, the fires had been burning across Victoria for 48 days and over 10,000 km2 had been burnt. Homes and other property and stock was lost.

There was a significant fire in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, near the towns of Kangarilla and Echunga, the Mount Bold Reservoir, and in parts of Kuitpo Forest.

An arsonist lit at least thirteen fires in the eastern hills near Harrogate, but most were contained with minimal damage to property.

On the 16th a bushfire burning out of control near the town of Benalla in Victoria’s North East caused power to be cut to much of the state when ash and smoke severed major transmission powerlines connecting Victoria to the national power grid. The 40 °C temperature caused a huge demand for power which, when paired with the severing of the line, forced power company’s to impose rolling blackouts across the state, including power loss to parts of Melbourne which resulted in traffic problems across the city. Full power was restored at approximately 12:30 am the following day.

On 17 January, fires crossed the Murray River into New South Wales and threatened Thredbo. With the fire 12 km from the town, 700 tourists were evacuated.

On 21 January, a large fire began near the F3 Freeway (Freeway which connects Central Coast to Sydney), this resulted in its closure due to the intensity of the flames and smoke levels.

On 22 January, the fire broke containment lines and headed north thanks to wind levels and hot conditions, the fire also caused the closure of the Pacific Highway and train line. The suburb of Berowra also came under direct threat with residents urged at the time to prepare their properties. The railway station and a train that had stopped there came perilously close to being consumed by the bushfire. Later on 22 January, the fire front was slowly contained, allowing all three avenues to re-open by nightfall.

Source: Wikipedia

2006–07 Australian Bushfire Season Statistics

Dates(s):	Winter 2006 – Autumn 2007 (southern hemisphere)
Burned Area:	>1,360,000 ha (3,400,000 acres)
Buildings Destroyed:	100+ total (83 houses, Numerous non-residential structures)
Deaths:	5
Non-Fatal Injuries:	1,400