Bushfire scene (Image courtesy of EMA) - More>>
What is a bushfire?
Bushfires and grassfires are common throughout Australia. Grassfires are fast moving, passing in 5 to 10 seconds and smouldering for minutes. They have a low to medium intensity and primarily damage crops, livestock and farming infrastructure such as fences. Bushfires are generally slower moving, but have a higher heat output. This means they pass in 2 to 5 minutes, but they can smoulder for days. Fire in the crown of the tree canopy can move rapidly.
Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia’s environment. Natural ecosystems have evolved with fire, and the landscape, along with its biological diversity, has been shaped by both historic and recent fires. Many of Australia’s native plants are fire prone and very combustible while numerous species depend on fire to regenerate.
Fire is both feared and harnessed. Indigenous Australians have long used fire as a land management tool and it continues to be used to clear land for agricultural purposes and to protect properties from intense, uncontrolled fires.
Interesting Fact
Unfortunately, the majority of people who lose their lives in bushfire do so because of poorly timed and poorly planned last minute evacuation
In the past 40 years, major Australian bushfires have cost A$2.5 billion according to (Bureau of Transport and Economics, 2001), corresponding to an average of about 10% of the cost of all major natural disasters in Australia between 1967 and 1999. In the same period Australian bushfires resulted in the death of around 250 people and the destruction of 4,554 homes.