Lexi Webster
Australia's wildfires in 2019-2020 burned a massive expanse of land, killing at least 34 people, destroying over 5,900 buildings, and devastating an estimated one billion animals. The fires were fueled by drought and a record-breaking heatwave, with the country breaking its all-time temperature record twice in December 2019. The bushfires burned across various regions of the state of New South Wales, eastern and north-eastern Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. The scale of the area burned by the fires was immense, with at least 4.9 million hectares burned or currently burning in New South Wales alone as of January 24, 2020. The total area burned, excluding tropical savannah, stood at more than 7.7 million hectares. The Gospers Mountain fire became the biggest forest fire in Australian history, burning over 500,000 hectares.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Area burned | 32,400 square miles (approximately) as of 7 January 2020; 72,000 square miles as of 14 January 2020 |
| Area burned (hectares) | 4.9 million hectares in NSW alone; 7.7 million hectares in total as of 24 January 2020; 18.6 million hectares as of 14 January 2020 |
| Area burned (acres) | 12.35 million acres; 46 million acres as of 14 January 2020 |
| Number of deaths | 24 as of 7 January 2020; 32 as of 24 January 2020; 34 as of 14 January 2020 |
| Number of animal deaths | 25,000 koalas; one billion animals in total |
| Number of buildings destroyed | 1,000; 5,900 as of 14 January 2020 |
| Number of homes destroyed | 2,779 as of 14 January 2020; almost 2,000 in NSW, Victoria, and South Australia |
| Number of fires | 200 as of 3 January 2020 |
| CO2 emissions | 306 million tonnes as of 2 January 2020; 715 teragrams from November 2019 to January 2020 |
| Cost | Expected to exceed $4.4 billion |
| Cause | Drought and extreme heat; positive Indian Ocean Dipole; fire-suppression; unrestrained logging; removal of mature trees |
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What You'll Learn
- The 2019-2020 Australian wildfire season burned 32,400 square miles of land
- The fires destroyed over 5,900 buildings, including 2,779 homes
- The fires killed at least 34 people and one billion animals
- The fires burned a record amount of forested areas in densely populated southern Australia
- The fires were caused by drought, extreme heat, and traditional fire suppression
The 2019-2020 Australian wildfire season burned 32,400 square miles of land
The 2019-2020 Australian wildfire season was a devastating event that burned approximately 32,400 square miles of land, an area slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Indiana. This fire season, fueled by drought and extreme heat, had a catastrophic impact on Australia's unique wildlife and ecosystems.
The fires commenced in June 2019 and rapidly spread across multiple regions, with New South Wales and Victoria bearing the brunt of the blazes. By January 2020, the fires had already burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares or 46 million acres, destroying over 5,900 buildings and claiming the lives of at least 34 people. The true toll on wildlife is unknown, but it is estimated that one billion animals perished, and some endangered species are now facing potential extinction.
New South Wales experienced its worst bushfire season on record, with more land burned than in any other blazes in the past 25 years. The Gospers Mountain fire, which started in December 2019, became the biggest forest fire in Australian history, scorching over 500,000 hectares. The state also witnessed the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in the country's history, with flames reaching heights of up to 70 meters (230 feet).
The impact of the wildfires extended beyond the immediate loss of life and property. Air quality deteriorated to hazardous levels, and the smoke travelled an astonishing 11,000 kilometres across the South Pacific Ocean, affecting Chile and Argentina. The cost of dealing with the bushfires was expected to surpass the $4.4 billion spent on the 2009 Black Saturday fires, and tourism revenues took a significant hit, losing more than $1 billion.
The 2019-2020 wildfire season in Australia was a stark reminder of the destructive power of nature and the urgent need to address the underlying factors contributing to such catastrophic events. The recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of these wildfires continue to this day.
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The fires destroyed over 5,900 buildings, including 2,779 homes
The 2019-20 Australian bushfire season was a disaster for the country, with fires burning through an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) of land. The fires destroyed over 5,900 buildings, including 2,779 homes. This left thousands of people without shelter and resulted in significant financial losses.
New South Wales (NSW) was one of the worst-affected states, with over 1,500 homes destroyed and more than 650 damaged in the fires. The NSW Rural Fire Service reported that the Gospers Mountain fire alone burned over 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres) and was the biggest forest fire in Australian history. The state experienced the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in the country's history, with fires burning for months on end.
In addition to NSW, other states were also severely impacted by the fires. In Victoria, approximately 200 homes were lost, and in South Australia, at least eleven homes were destroyed in the Yorke Peninsula fire. The Northern Territory saw five homes lost to bushfires, and Tasmania had at least one home destroyed.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was also affected, with Canberra experiencing what was described as its "worst bushfires." The fires destroyed pine plantations, homesteads, and threatened government buildings, observatories, and other critical infrastructure.
The 2019-20 bushfires caused widespread destruction and devastation, leaving thousands of people displaced and resulting in significant losses. The fires' impact extended beyond just the destruction of homes, as they also ravaged vast areas of land, killed an estimated one billion animals, and affected the air quality across the country.
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The fires killed at least 34 people and one billion animals
The 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season was a disaster for the country, killing at least 34 people and one billion animals. The fires also destroyed over 5,900 buildings, including 2,779 homes, and caused the displacement or death of nearly three billion animals. The human death toll included ten firefighters, some of whom died in vehicle crashes.
The fires ravaged various regions of the state of New South Wales, including the North Coast, Mid North Coast, the Hunter Region, the Hawkesbury, and Wollondilly in Sydney's far west, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and the South Coast, Riverina, and Snowy Mountains. More than 100 fires burned across the state, with 70-metre-high flames reported. In eastern and north-eastern Victoria, large areas of forest burned out of control for four weeks, threatening towns and isolating Corryong and Mallacoota.
The fires also had a devastating impact on Australia's wildlife. Ecologists estimate that about 8,000 koalas died due to their slow movement, preventing them from escaping the flames. The fires also threatened to wipe out entire species of animals, with some endangered species at risk of extinction. The koala population, already vulnerable, was severely impacted, with government officials estimating that 30% of the region's species may have been lost.
The bushfires were exacerbated by climate change and drought and extreme heat, which fueled the fires. The cost of dealing with the bushfires is expected to exceed the $4.4 billion of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, and tourism sector revenues have also been significantly impacted. The fires also had a severe impact on air quality, with smoke reaching as far as Chile and Argentina.
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The fires burned a record amount of forested areas in densely populated southern Australia
The 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season was a major natural disaster that burned a record amount of forested areas in densely populated southern Australia. The fires commenced in June 2019 and burned through to January 2020, with the crisis far from over by that point.
The fires were fuelled by drought and extreme heat, with Australia breaking its all-time temperature record twice in December 2019. The average maximum temperature reached 41.9°C, with every state measuring temperatures above 40°C. The main climate driver behind the heat was a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which caused higher-than-average temperatures and less rainfall in Australia.
The bushfires burned a massive expanse of land, with an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) burned across the country. This included more than 4.9 million hectares burned in New South Wales alone, which experienced the worst bushfire season in the state's history. The Gospers Mountain fire was the biggest forest fire in Australian history, burning over 500,000 hectares.
The fires in southern Australia were notably different from those in the tropical savannah regions of northern Australia, which frequently experience large fires in very remote areas. The bushfires in southern Australia burned through densely populated areas, destroying over 5,900 buildings and killing at least 34 people. The fires also devastated Australia's unique wildlife, with an estimated one billion animals killed and some endangered species potentially driven to extinction.
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The fires were caused by drought, extreme heat, and traditional fire suppression
Australia's wildfires have burned a massive expanse of land. Fueled by drought and extreme heat, the bushfires have destroyed many homes and taken many lives. The 2019-2020 wildfire season was primed by ongoing drought conditions across much of Australia, including New South Wales, Queensland, and parts of Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia.
Droughts and dry, arid conditions are naturally occurring phenomena in Australia. Such conditions are conducive to wildfires, which are typically started by lightning and occur between October and April, with a higher prevalence during the Southern Hemisphere summer. However, the 2019-2020 wildfire season was particularly severe due to the prolonged drought. According to Jesse Collins, an organizer at an evacuation center in Cobargo, Australia, once an area is in drought conditions for two months or more, it significantly increases the risk of fires catching and spreading. The drought during this period was influenced by a strong, positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and a persistent negative Southern Annular Mode (SAM), which shifted rainfall away from Australia and led to hotter and drier air.
In addition to the drought, extreme heat played a crucial role in the wildfires. Warmer temperatures cause more evaporation, drying out vegetation faster. This creates an abundance of dry fuel that is highly susceptible to catching fire and allows the fire to spread rapidly. The combination of drought and extreme heat created the perfect conditions for the wildfires to burn intensely and spread quickly across the country.
Furthermore, climate change has been identified as a contributing factor. According to climate experts, climate change can increase the likelihood of record-high temperatures and drought occurring simultaneously in areas prone to wildfires, "supercharging" the fires. This aligns with predictions made in a 2007 United Nations climate report, which stated that heatwaves and fires would increase in intensity and frequency as global temperatures rise. While climate change is not the sole factor in the severity of wildfires, it has undoubtedly elevated the risk of severe fire events.
The impact of the wildfires has been devastating. By January 2020, the fires had burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres), destroyed over 5,900 buildings, and killed at least 34 people. Additionally, an estimated one billion animals were killed, and some endangered species may be driven to extinction. The cost of dealing with the bushfires is expected to be significant, and tourism sector revenues have already taken a substantial hit. The full extent of the damage caused by the wildfires is still being assessed, and recovery efforts are ongoing.
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Frequently asked questions
The wildfires in Australia during the 2019-2020 season burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares, or 46 million acres.
The 2019-2020 Australian wildfires burned through a much larger area compared to the 2018 California wildfires, which consumed 2 million acres, and the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires, which burned 2.2 million acres.
The Australian wildfires were fueled by drought and extreme heat, with the country breaking its all-time temperature record twice in December 2019. The positive Indian Ocean Dipole also played a role, causing warmer temperatures and less rainfall.
The states most affected by the wildfires include New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Western Australia.
The wildfires had a devastating impact on Australia's unique wildlife, with an estimated 480 million to 1 billion animals affected across the country. Many endangered species were also threatened, and there were concerns about their survival. The fires also released substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, with NASA estimating 306 million tons of CO2 emissions as of January 2020.
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