The Effect of Australian Bushfires.
With the current 2019-20 Australian bushfire season affecting so many people, there is a lot of concern about how badly Australia will be affected by this. Some comments wonder if Australia will be uninhabitable due to the bushfire.
At the time of writing, the 2019-20 Bushfire season has seen an estimated 6 million hectares burnt, over 1,300 houses destroyed and at least 18 lives lost.
The Australian bushfire danger period would normally finish at about the end of March, but with so little rain, there can be no certainty about that.
The worst Australia wide Bushfires so far, appear to be the 1974-75 season with 117 million hectares burnt although few fatalities, or the 2008-09 season, with almost 200 lives lost, but much less land burnt.
These are some of the previous years Australian Bushfire figures, but Australia has always bounced back.
2015-2016 Australian Bushfires.
317,000 hectares were burnt in bushfires. About 500 houses were destroyed and 8 lives were lost.
2008-2009 Australian Bushfires:.
240,000 hectares were burnt in bushfires. About 2,000 houses were destroyed and 173 lives were lost.
2002-2003 Australian Bushfires:.
17 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. About 600 houses were destroyed. 15 million ha of this was in Central Australia between August and November 2002. In the ACT, the 2003 bushfires burnt approximately 160,000 ha, (66% of Australian Capital Territory’s land area). 4 lives were lost and over 500 homes were destroyed in the ACT.
1984-1985 Australian Bushfires:.
3.5 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. Over 200 houses were destroyed and 4 lives were lost.
1982-1983 Australian Bushfires:.
418,000 hectares were burnt in bushfires. Almost 2,500 houses were destroyed and 65 lives were lost in Victoria and South Australia.
1974-75 Australian Bushfires:.
117 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. With 3 lives lost and about 100 injured. 15% of the country was burnt. (knowledge.aidr.org.au) and (abc.net.au/news/bushfires)
1973-74 Australian Bushfires:.
4.5 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. 6 lives were lost.
1966-67 Australian Bushfires:.
264,000 hectares were burnt in bushfires. Almost 4,300 buildings were destroyed and 62 lives were lost. 900 people were injured and 7,000 left homeless.
1960-61 Australian Bushfires:.
1.8 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. No lives were lost.
1943-44 Australian Bushfires:.
1 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. 15 lives were lost.
1938-39 Australian Bushfires:.
2 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. 71 lives were lost.
1850-51 Australian Bushfires:.
5 million hectares were burnt in bushfires. 12 lives were lost.
Notes:
From a Government source: PDF File: CSIRO Submission 09/355 Bushfires in Australia 2009 Senate Inquiry
About 50 million hectares of land are burned across Australia each year on average.
ABS Bushfire Statistics: www.abs.gov.au