The state of Victoria in Australia has had a long history of catastrophic bushfires.
The most deadly of these, the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 claiming 173 lives. Legislation, planning, management, and suppression are the responsibilities of the Victorian State Government By number of fires
Lightning - 26% Deliberate - 25% Agricultural - 16% Campfire - 10% Cigarettes/Matches - 7% Unknown Causes - 6%
By area burnt Lightning - 46% Public Utilities - 14% Deliberate - 14% Misc - 9% Agricultural - 7% Planned burn escapes - 5% Unknown Causes - 3% Machinery/Exhaust - 2% Campfire - 1% Cigarettes/Matches - less than 1%
Major Victorian Bushfires
Most extensive fires 1851 - 6 February "Black Thursday" (5 million hectares) 1938-39 - December - January "Black Friday" (2 million hectares) 2020 - 3 January "2019–20 Australian bushfire season" (1.5+ million hectares) 2003 - January - March "2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires" (1.3 million hectares) 2006-07 - 1 December - 6 February "Eastern Victoria Great Divide bushfires" (1.2 -1.3 million hectares) 1944 - January - February (1 million hectares) 1983 - 16 February "Ash Wednesday" (510,000 hectares) 2009 - 7 February "Black Saturday" (450,000 hectares) 1965 - Gippsland (300,000 hectares) 1898 - 1 February "Red Tuesday" (260,000 hectares)
Deadliest fires 2009 - 7 February - March "Black Saturday" (173 deaths) 1939 - December - January "Black Friday" (71 deaths) 1926 - 14 February - March "Black Sunday" (60 deaths) 1944 - December - February (51 deaths) 1983 - 16 February "Ash Wednesday" (47 in Victoria) 1962 - 14–16 January (33 deaths) 1969 - 8 January (23 deaths) 1942 - Western Victoria (20 deaths) 1905 - 1 December (12 deaths) 1898 - 1 February "Red Tuesday" (12 deaths) 1851 - 6 February "Black Thursday" (12 deaths) 1943 - 22 December (10 deaths) 1952 - January - March, Central Victoria (10 deaths) 1977 - 12 February, Western Victoria (8 deaths) 1965 - 17 January (7 deaths) Longwood, Northern Victoria 1998 - 2 December (5 deaths) Linton, Western Victoria 1985 - 14 January (3 deaths) Avoca, Central Victoria 1997 - 21 January (3 deaths) Dandenong Ranges
See also Wildfire Bushfires in Australia 2015–16 Australian bushfire season 2019–20 Australian bushfire season Aerial firefighting and forestry in southern Australia
References
DSE Major Bushfire in Victoria Anatomy of a firestorm, The Age
External links State Library of Victoria's Bushfires in Victoria Research Guide Guide to locating books, government reports, websites, statistics, newspaper reports and images about Victorian bushfires from 1851 to the present. Country Fire Authority Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning: Fire & emergencies VicEmergency (Incidents and warnings)