ESSC - 3.3 The facts of the fires and the losses in Victoria

3.3 The facts of the fires and the losses in Victoria

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Statistics

4,500km² 450,000ha (1,100,000acres) burned out
Over 3,500 structures destroyed, including:
- 2,029+houses
- 59 commercial properties (shops, pubs, service stations, golf clubs, etc)
- 12 community buildings (including 2 police stations, 3 schools, 3 churches, 1 fire station)
- 399 machinery sheds, 729 other farm buildings, 363 hay sheds
- 19 dairies, 26 woolsheds
25,600t (25,200LT; 28,200ST) of stored fodder and grain
2km² 190ha (470 acres) of standing crops
1680km² 168,000ha (420,000 acres) of pasture
8km² 735ha (1,820 acres) of fruit trees, olives and vines
70km² 7,000ha (17,000 acres) of plantation timber
39km² 3,921ha (9,690 acres) of private bushland
2,150 sheep, 1,207 cattle, and an unknown number of horses, goats, alpacas, poultry and pigs
Over 10,000km of boundary and internal fencing destroyed or damaged
Over 55 businesses destroyed
About 211,000 tonnes of hay destroyed
Over 11,000 livestock killed or injured
The electricity supply was disrupted to 60,000 consumers
Three primary schools and 3 children's services destroyed
950 local parks, 70 national parks and reserves, and over 600 cultural sites and historic places were destroyed
The amount of energy released during the firestorm in the Kinglake-Marysville area was equivalent to the amount of energy released by 1,500 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.

(Left photo) Exceptional Heat Wave , NASA - Earth Observatory, 5 February 2009 ; (Right Photo) Seen from Space, Fire Damage in Victoria, Australia - SPACEINFO

Area	Area (ha)	Fatalities	Buildings destroyed	Ignition source
Kinglake Area	180,000+	120	1,000+ (550 houses)	Power lines
Marysville Area	150,000+	39	400+	Arson
West Gippsland	32,860+	11	150+ houses	Arson
Beechworth	30,000+	2	Unknown number of buildings	Unknown
Bunyip State Park	24,500	0	12~ houses, several other buildings	Arson/lightning suspected
Wilsons Promontory	11,000+	0	None	Lightning
Redesdale	10,000	0	12 houses, several outbuildings	Unknown
Horsham	5,700	0	8 houses, several other buildings	Power lines
Weerite	1,300	0	Several outbuildings	Power lines
Coleraine	770	0	1 house, several outbuildings	Power lines
Bendigo	500+	1	160 Buildings (61 houses)	Arson
Dandenong Ranges	5+	0	9+ houses	Unknown, Machinery
Totals	450,000+	173	3,500+ (2,029+ houses)
Source: Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment