1943–44 Australian bushfire season
| 1943–44 Australian bushfire season | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | December 1943 – February 1944 |
| Location | Australia |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 1,000,000 ha (VIC) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 51 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 700 |
| Structures destroyed | 650 |
A series of major
Victoria in Australia, occurred during the summer of 1943–44. It was the driest summer ever recorded in Melbourne until 2002 with just 46 millimetres or 1.81 inches falling, a third of the long-term average.[1] Between 22 December 1943 and 15 February 1944, burnt an estimated one million ha,[2] 51 people were killed, 700 injured, and 650 buildings were destroyed across the state.[3] Many personnel who would have been normally available for fire fighting duties had been posted overseas and to remote areas of Australia during World War II.[1]
Timeline
December–January
The first major fire was a grassfire at
Mechanics' Institute, two churches and several business premises.[4] In central Victoria, fires occurred near Daylesford, Woodend, Gisborne and Bendigo.[1] In the Melbourne area, 63 homes were destroyed at Beaumaris and another 5 in the Glenroy – Pascoe Vale area.[5]
On 14 February a fire broke out near
Traralgon area.[5]
A major outcome following the fires was a Royal Commission led by Judge Leonard Stretton and the establishment of the Country Fire Authority in 1945 to co-ordinate rural fire brigades.
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Beaumaris Bushfires of 1944". kingston historical website. City of Kingston. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- ^ "1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2004 – Bushfires". ABS. 27 February 2004.
- ^ a b "Western, Central and Southern Victoria: Bushfires". EMA Disasters Database. Emergency Management Australia. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- ISBN 0-7316-0506-3.
- ^ a b c "First (and interim) report on bush fire at Yallourn on February 14th, 1944, with particular reference to report of Royal Commission of Inquiry, March 1944. Victoria". State Electricity Commission. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.