Other major fires

6 min read

As one of the most bushfire-prone environments in the world, Victoria has faced many devastating fires throughout its history.

We remember all of those who were impacted. For generations of Victorians, there are fires that are etched into our collective memory.

CFA has been involved in many fires over the years.

Since the early days of community bushfire brigades, to our modern volunteer brigades working with emergency service partners, the Victorian community has been at the heart of our bushfire response.

Hazelwood Mine Fire

For 45 days in 2014, a fire burned in the Hazelwood open cut coal mine in the Latrobe Valley. CFA crews faced challenging conditions to safely and methodically reduce the size of the fire and protect the power station. Flare-ups were frequent due to the nature of coal to burn continuously, combined with extreme heat and changing weather conditions. The geology of the mine had to be carefully considered to avoid placing firefighters in danger and to effectively extinguish the fire.

On peak days, up to 200 firefighters and support crews were on site. The Latrobe Valley community was significantly affected by poor air quality, and CFA worked closely with local authorities to keep the community informed about the fire and its impacts.

Longford Gas Explosion

In September 1998, there was a major explosion at the Longford Gas Plant in Gippsland. The incident tragically killed two workers, one of whom was a CFA volunteer, and left eight others injured.

Fires at the plant lasted for four days. Many local CFA crews were among the first to attend, working alongside Esso employees to execute emergency procedures.

As the primary provider of natural gas to Victorians, the Longford gas plant explosion left the state without gas supplies for two weeks.

Notable fires by year

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Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2022
23 January	Great Western Racecourse grassfire	18 cars destroyed
1 January	Calder Hwy, Hatter grassfire	734 hectares
2021
31 December	Langkoop, Poolaijelo grassfire	7,332 hectares. 5,000 sheep lost and plantation loss of $10 million
26 December	Almond processing factory fire, Bannerton	A fire in 5,000 tonnes of almond hull spread into 6,000 wooden bins and impacted the factory
14 April	Two restaurants and a shop fire, Apollo Bay	Two restaurants and a shop destroyed

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2020
6 December	Puckapunyal Army Base Primary School fire	Structural collapse
1 January	Buenba – Pheasant Creek Tk	90,003 hectares
2019
31 December	Shannonvale – McNamara Hut bushfire	44,308 hectares
31 December	Hotham Heights – Blue Bag Range	35,700 hectares
31 December	Abbeyard – Yarrabula South bushfire	151,221 hectares
31 December	Cobungra – Dinner Plain Tk	10,758 hectares
30 December	Budj Bim bushfire	6,369 hectares
29 December	Upper Murray Walwa bushfire	200,442 hectares
25 December	Crawford River - Boulevard bushfire	2,958 hectares
20 December	Lexton - Ben Major bushfire	2,792 hectares
22 November	Tambo Complex	324,739 hectares
22 November	Snowy Complex	662,500 hectares
29 March	Bunkers Hill bushfire	One house and 16 outbuildings lost. Two houses damaged
29 March	Mt Mercer bushfire	1,547 hectares. 2,300 sheep lost
3 March	Cambarville Rd bushfire	2,629 hectares
2 March	Yinnar South bushfire	1,913 hectares. Two houses and three outbuildings lost
1 March	Bunyip State Park	15,596 hectares. 29 houses and 67 outbuildings lost
30 January	Walhalla bushfire	8,755 hectares. Two properties lost
16 January	Nunnett/Timbarra River Complex bushfire	22,705 hectares
4 January	Rosedale bushfire	12,148 hectares. $22 million damage to plantations

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2018
7 December	Little River bushfire	1,270 hectares. 38 properties lost
17 March	South-West bushfire	16,828 hectares
19 January	Big Desert bushfire	5,596 hectares
2017
26 November	Cann River bushfire	9,746 hectares
12 March	Grass and scrub fire, Crooked River	3,066 hectares
2016
25 December	Grass and scrub fire, Woomelang	1,816 hectares
23 February	Grass and scrub fire, Mt Bolton	1,202 hectares
2015
20 December	Grass and scrub fire, Barnawartha	6,708 hectares
19 December	Wye River bushfire	2,520 hectares. Significant loss of houses
19 December	Grass and scrub fire, Scotsburn	4,570 hectares
3 November	Ship fire, Port of Portland	800 tonnes animal feed
6 October	Grass and scrub fire, Lancefield	5,055 hectares
7 January	Grass and scrub fire, Little Desert	6,000 hectares
3 January	Grass and scrub fire, Brimpaen	4,500 hectares
3 January	Grass and scrub fire, Edenhope	1,740 hectares
2 January	Grass and scrub fire, Moyston	4,900 hectares

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2014
16 December	Grass and scrub fire, Stewarton	2,000 hectares
16 December	Grass and scrub fire, Pastoria	800 hectares
16 December	Grass and scrub fire, Longwood East	5,085 hectares
16 December	Grass and scrub fire, Lake Rowan	5,743 hectares
16 December	Dairy processing factory fire	$5 million
15 December	Grass and scrub fire, West Wodonga	800 hectares
23 August	Seymour factory fire	One fatality
9 February	Fire and hazardous material, Hazelwood coalmine	407 hectares, protracted incident
9 February	Grass and scrub fire, Wunghnu	9,283 hectares
9 February	Grass and scrub fire, Mickleham-Kilmore	22,877 hectares
9 February	Grass and scrub fire, Jack River	2,894 hectares
9 February	Grass and scrub fire, Gisborne	2,800 hectares
7 February	Grass and scrub fire, Morwell-Hernes Oak	2,788 hectares
16 January	Goongerah-Deddick Trail bushfire	165,806 hectares
15 January	Grampians-Northern Complex bushfire	55,100 hectares
14 January	Big Desert Wilderness Park bushfire	29,896 hectares
14 January	Wyperfeld National Park bushfire	56,543 hectares

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2013
26 December	Grass and scrub fire, Toolleen	1,050 hectares
27 March	Grass and scrub fire, Dereel	1,280 hectares
18 February	Grass and scrub fire, Kal Kallo	2,040 hectares
14 February	Grampians bushfire	35,875 hectares
27 January	Grass and scrub fire, Violet Town	1,285 hectares
21 January	Bushfire, Harrietville	36,347 hectares
8 January	Grass and scrub fire, Goroke	920 hectares
8 January	Grass and scrub fire, Chepstowe	1,297 hectares
4 January	Grass and scrub fire, Kentbruck	12,055 hectares

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2012
25 February	Grass and scrub fire, Bulgana	1,000 hectares
21 February	Milk factory fire, Longwarry	$3 million
2011
11 December	Tanker fire, Rowville	20,000 litre fuel
19 May	Tritech Lubricants factory fire, Dandenong	$37.5 million
1 February	Tostaree scrub fire	Two houses, 11,365 hectares
2010
17 December	Lascelles crop fire	800 hectares

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2009
23 February	Muskvale / Daylesford, Upwey	3,000 hectares
13 February	Wilson’s Promontory	5,000 hectares
7 February	Black Saturday Churchill, Kilmore and Murrundindi, Vectis (Horsham), Coleraine, Weerite, Redesdale, Harkaway, Upper Ferntree Gully, Maiden Gully / Eaglehawk, Lynbrook / Narre Warren, Beechworth. More detailed information.	173 people 2,056 houses 239,637 hectares
4–6 February	Bunyip State Park	31 houses 26,200 hectares
29 January	Branxholme	40 hectares
28 January	Delburn	44 houses 6,534 hectares

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
2007
1 March	Food Warehouse Fire — Wattle St, Springvale	About 50 firefighters took one hour to contain the blaze, preventing spread to a neighbouring school. 15 people in a nearby block of flats were evacuated as a precaution.
17 January	DTM Logistics — Dandenong South	By the time the brigade arrived, the building was fully involved. Losses were extensive including contents and vehicles.
2006
December–February 2007	Great Divide Complex	33 houses 13 houses damaged 255 other buildings 1,334 animals and livestock Fencing: 1,357 km 1,154,828 hectares
12 October	Morwell Open Cut Mine	Spontaneous ignition
19 January	Grampians	2 people 41 houses 9 houses damaged 231 other buildings 65,598 animals and livestock Fencing: 1,973 km 116,380 hectares
2003
8 January – 19 March	North East and Gippsland fires 71 days duration	41 houses 3 bridges 213 other structures 10,000 livestock 1.2 million hectares
2002
March	Glenaroua	1 house 6,100 hectares grass and scrub
2001
December – January 2002	Deployment of CFA to NSW and ACT fires	80 trucks and 2,794 CFA personnel were committed for 14 days
2000
18 December	Dadswells Bridge	1 house damaged 14,500 hectares of crop and pasture 8,000 livestock (mainly sheep) 500 km of fencing

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
1998
2 December	Linton	5 CFA firefighters 1 CFA tanker 780 hectares
25 September	Longford Plant	2 people 8 injured Gas plant exploded due to leaking vapours.
1997
21 January	Dandenong Ranges, Creswick, Heathcote, Teddywaddy, Gough’s Bay	3 people 41 houses 1 CFA fire truck
1990
27 December	Strathbogie	1 person 17 houses More than 12,000 livestock
1985
14 January	Maryborough, Avoca, Little River	3 people 182 houses 400 farms 46,000 livestock
1983
16 February	Ash Wednesday Monivae, Branxholme, Cockatoo, East Trentham, Mt Macedon, Otways, Warburton, Cudgee, Upper Beaconsfield. More detailed information.	47 people More than 27,000 livestock Over 2,000 houses/shops
1978
15 January	Bairnsdale	2 people 1 house 6,500 livestock
1977
12 February	Penshurst, Tatyoon, Streatham, Creswick, Pura Pura, Werneth, Cressy, Rokewood, Beeac, Mingay, Lismore, Little River	4 people 108 houses/shops More than 236,000 livestock
1969
8 January	Lara, Daylesford, Bulgana, Yea, Darraweit, Kangaroo Flat, Korongvale	22 people 230 houses 21 schools/church/halls More than 12,000 livestock 800,000 acres
1968
19 February	The Basin, Upwey	64 houses
1965
21 February – 13 March	Gippsland Fires burned for 17 days	More than 60 houses/shops More than 4,000 livestock 750,000 acres of forest 40,000 acres of grassland
17 January	Longwood	7 people (all from one family) 1 CFA firefighter 6 houses
1944
14 January – 14 February	Central & western districts, Morwell, Yallourn	32 people 700 houses Huge livestock losses
1943
22 December	Wangaratta	10 people Thousands of acres of grass country
1942
3–4 March	Hamilton, South Gippsland – Yarram (burning on a 60 mile front)	1 person More than 20 houses 100 sheep 2 farms
1939
13 January	Black Friday Rubicon, Woods Point, Warrandyte, Noojee, Omeo, Mansfield, Dromana, Yarra Glen, Warburton, Erica.	71 people More than 650 houses/shops
1926
n/a	Noojee, Kinglake, Warburton, Erica, Dandenong Ranges	People and property

Date	Name/Location	Losses/Summary
1851
6 February	Black Thursday Wimmera, Portland, Gippsland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, Dandenong districts, Heidelberg.	12 people 1,000,000+ livestock