Tarrawingee Fire 1943

Summary

On 22 December 1943, a major fire began at Bowser railway yard during extreme heat and strong northerly winds.
The blaze spread rapidly toward Tarrawingee, drawing volunteers from many walks of life, including farmers, workers, and two 14-year-old schoolboys.
A sudden wind change tragically killed 10 firefighters, marking one of Victoria’s worst losses of firefighters in the line of duty.
The event, along with other fires from the 1943–44 season, contributed to the creation of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in 1944.

The Legacy of the 1943 Tarrawingee Fire

On 22 December 1943, in the depths of World War II, a fire broke out at Bowser railway yard near the Hume Highway. High temperatures and hot northerly winds combined to create a raging fire.

It quickly spread towards Tarrawingee (east of Wangaratta), with volunteers racing from across the area, including farmers and farmhands, factory workers, shop owners, teachers, workmates knocking off for the day from the Post Master General office and two 14-year-old schoolboys.

Tragically, the wind changed direction and the fire claimed the lives of 10 men, including the teenage schoolboys, in what was one of the greatest losses of firefighters in the line of duty in Victoria's history.

This fire and others during the 1943/44 fire season followed the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the 1939 bushfires and was the catalyst for the formation of the Country Fire Authority a year later in 1944.