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Major Fires

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Black Saturday - 7th February 2009 was a unique and devastating event that changed Victoria and CFA forever. Some of the most affected communities were deeply scarred by those events and CFA will continue to share the pain and grieve with those who lost family, friends and colleagues.

On each anniversary of that date, our hearts and our feelings are with those who were involved in those fires, and particularly those who lost loved ones.

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Year Date Name/Location Losses/Summary

2009

23 February

Muskvale / Daylesford, Upwey
  • 3,000 hectares

2009

13 February

Wilson's Promontory
  • 5,000 hectares

2009

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
  • 2056 houses
  • 239,637 hectares

2009

4-6 February

Bunyip State Park
  • 31 houses
  • 26,200 hectares

2009

29 January

Branxholme
  • 40 hectares

2009

28 January

Delburn
  • 44 houses
  • 6,534 hectares

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.

2007

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
  • 1334 animals and livestock
  • Fencing: 1,357km
  • 1,154,828 hectares

2006

12 October

Morwell Open Cut Mine

 Spontaneous Ignition

2006

19 January

Grampians
  • 2 people
  • 41 houses
  • 9 houses damaged
  • 231 other buildings
  • 65,598 animals and livestock
  • Fencing: 1,973
  • 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 2794 CFA personnel were committed for 14 days

2000

18 December

Dadswells Bridge
  • 1 house damaged
  • 14,500 hectares of crop and pasture
  • 8000 livestock (mainly sheep)
  • 500km of fencing

1998

2 December

Linton
  • 5 CFA firefighters
  • 1 CFA tanker
  • 780 hectares

1998

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 2000 houses/shops

1978

15 January

Bairnsdale
  • 2 people
  • 1 house
  • 6500 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 4000 livestock
  • 750,000 acres of forest
  • 40,000 acres of grassland

1965

17 January

Longwood
  • 7 people (all from one family)
  • 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

1851

6 February

Black Thursday

Wimmera, Portland, Gippsland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, Dandenong districts, Heidelberg.
  • 12 people
  • 1,000,000 plus livestock

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