Ash Wednesday Fires

The deadliest bushfires in Australian history started February 16, 1983. Ironically, February 16 in the year 1983 was the day Christians observe as Ash Wednesday.

Under normal weather conditions, Victoria and South Australia are some of the most fire-prone areas in the world. High temperatures, low relative humidity, and limited summer rainfall produce conditions favorable for serious bushfires to break out in eucalypt forests and the vast grasslands. Sudden changes in the strong winds of the area can hamper firefighting efforts making it possible for a relatively small bushfire to quickly build strength and rage out of control.

Weather Conditions Primed the Fires

During the months proceeding February 16, 1983, a drought left South Australia and Victoria a literal tinder box primed for the slightest spark. The weather phenomenon known as El Niño had moved in and brought with it record low relative humidity of less than 15%; normal relative humidity in the area was around 43%. Gale force winds kicked up dry earth to create dust storms that mixed with smoke from the fires. Visibility was drastically reduced and firefighting efforts hampered.

The Known Causes

The cause of several of the Ash Wednesday bushfires was discovered while others are still a mystery. Some bushfires were sparked by the clashing of electrical power lines, by tree branches connecting with power lines, or by deliberate acts of arson.

The Scenes

Spurred by the hot, dry, gale force winds, the fires swept over the terrain scorching hundreds of thousands of acres of land, destroying thousands of homes, and leaving death in its wake.

By late afternoon February 16, the hottest time of the day, the fires were raging completely out of control. In total, 180 bushfires broke out that fateful Ash Wednesday. Most fires were extinguished within a couple of days, but some burned on for a week.

In some areas the fires raged so hot that firefighters had to abandon their efforts to extinguish them leaving them to burn until they reached the ocean.

First hand accounts emerged describing scenes in which, inexplicably, the flames engulfed some areas while leaving others untouched. The fires engulfed one house, skipped over the next house leaving it untouched, only to engulf the third. There was a report that the fickle flames jumped over a car leaving the people inside, who were certain they were about to die, unharmed.

In some cases, survivors used bodies of water as a refuge. The residents of a coastal town spent hours wading neck deep in the ocean's waters watching as a wall of angry red flames engulfed and consumed their community. In other cases, whole families dove into their pools in an attempt to escape the rapidly advancing flames.

The fires moved and altered directions with such speed that it was impossible to predict their next move or to out run them. An elderly couple, sure that the fire was headed directly for their house, fled to what they thought was a safe distance. The couple was found burned to death about 100 yards from their undamaged home.

Melbourne (Australia's capitol) was at one time encircled by so many fires that smoke and the dust kicked up by the high winds blacked out the sun and required motorists to use their headlights. The capitol city remained covered in the black smoke and choking dust for weeks after the fires were extinguished.

The Aftermath

Ash Wednesday, 1983, remains on record as the deadliest and most destructive day in Australian history.

Between the state of Victoria and South Australia, 75 people lost their lives, among them 15 firefighters. Over 2,000 homes were destroyed. The total land area scorched was approximately 518,921 acres in Victoria and 513,979 acres in South Australia. Millions of dollars of property damage was suffered. Thousands of livestock were destroyed and hundreds of businesses burnt to the ground.

The mental and emotional tolls are never so easily or accurately measured. In the span of only one day, thousands of people were suddenly homeless and without means. They were stunned, unable to comprehend the enormity of their situations. Identity, dignity, and life styles lay in ruins among the ashes of their personal belongings. Basic human necessities were scarce. Safety and security were things of the past.

Disaster Planning

The Ash Wednesday fires brought needed attention to the country's disaster recovery plans. Inquests into the fires ultimately initiated infrastructural changes within the government's communications system. Specifically, the communication systems of the country's fire service were deemed inadequate. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology created the means to better predict shifts in wind direction and developing weather fronts. More efficient procedures for managing the bush were engineered and enacted while the construction industry focused on building new homes with fire survival aspects built in.

For the residents of Victoria and South Australia, the aftermath of the Ash Wednesday fires will be felt for countless generations.

Sources:

Department of Sustainability and Environment, Ash Wednesday - 1983, Department of Sustainability and Environment

George Negus, Murray Nicoll, dimensions_in_time - 18/11/2002: Ash Wednesday Fires, New Dimensions in Time.

Paul Valent, From Survival to Fulfillment: a Framework for the Life-trauma Dialectic, Google Book Search.

M.E. Voice, F.J. Gauntlett, AMS Online Journals - The 1983 Ash Wednesday Fires in Australia, American Meteorological Society.

Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday fires - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Wikipedia®.