Black Friday (1939)
The bushfires in Victoria in 1939, called in Australia also Black Friday Fires, occurred on January 13, 1939 in Victoria and was one of the zerstöreristischen bushfires in Australia, which burned an area of 20,000 km ², 71 people killed, destroyed several cities throughout and after the studies of the Royal Commission for the adoption of legal regulations of fire protection measures by 1944 in Victoria led.
About 1,300 homes and 69 sawmills were burnt down, and 3,700 buildings were destroyed. According to estimates, about three-quarters of the state of Victoria were directly or indirectly affected by this disaster. The Royal Commission had issued a statement in which it was found: "the whole State which alight on Friday, 13 January 1939 " ( German: " on Friday, January 13, 1939, the entire state was on fire ").
- 3.1 Central Victoria
- 3.2 East Victoria
- 3.3 Western Victoria
Conditions
In the days of January 1939, the capital of Melbourne registered the highest temperatures measured there at that time: 43.8 ° C on 8 January and 44.7 ° C on 10 January. On January 13, the day of the Busch fire, the temperatures reached a value of 45.6 ° C, the hottest temperature of the subsequent 70 years, although according to unofficial measurements, the temperature of 6 February 1851 the devastating bushfires in Victoria in 1851, 47 ° C, respectively.
The summer of 1938/1939 had been hot and dry, and several bushfires broke out in early January, covered and many areas of Victoria. As on February 13, emerged a strong northerly wind, the occasional bush fires combined in a massive fire front.
Destruction
Most damage occurred in the mountainous and alpine areas in the northeast and the southwest coast of Victoria. The Acheron, Tanjil Valley, Thomson Valley and the Grampians National Park were equally affected. Five cities, Hill End, Narbethong, Nayook West, Noojee (except the hotel) and Woods Point were completely destroyed, and then not rebuilt. The towns of Omeo, Pomonal, Warrandyte (now a suburb of Melbourne) and Yarra Glen were also badly damaged.
Around the same time, the bush fire burned through the Adelaide Hills. Ashes of this fire fell down to as far away as New Zealand. The bush fire came only two days later under control, as in the night of 15 January rain fell.
Main fire
The following five areas were mainly affected, the smaller bush fire affected areas East Gippsland, Mount Macedon, Mallee Peninsula and Mornington Peninsula.
The main fire in order of size are listed here:
- Yarra Ranges in the Alps Victoria
- Portland
- Otway Ranges
- Grampians National Park
- Strzelecki Ranges
Affected cities
Cities that were either damaged or completely destroyed, were:
Central Victoria
- Dromana
- Healesville
- Kinglake
- Marysville
- Narbethong - destroyed
- Warburton
- Warrandyte
- Yarra Glen
East Victoria
- Hill End - destroyed
- Nayook West - destroyed
- Matlock - 15 people died in a sawmill
- Noojee - destroyed
- Omeo
- Woods Point - destroyed
West Victoria
- Pomonal
- Portland
Long-term effects
Called The subsequent investigation of the Royal Commission under Judge LEB Stretton, Stretton Inquiry, found that the fires were caused by people, especially by a careless system of bonfires and fire - clearing substantially. The report presented a number of proposals for forest managers and fire safety, such as the construction of fire towers and a network of paths and roads. Were built Organizationally, three fire organizations in Victoria, the Forests Commission (now DSE), the Country Fire Authority ( CFA) and Metropolitan Fire Brigade, which protects the city of Melbourne. Furthermore, the structure was a training for the targeted safe burning off that exists to this day.
These bush fires also resulted in the adoption of Law Forests Act in Victoria, which transferred the responsibility for the fire protection and public ownership of the in- country and firefighters private ownership of the above-mentioned organizations of fire protection.
Impact of bushfires show up across several years and some destroyed by the fires trees remember to this day about it. In the affected areas the soil for a long time need to recover from the effects of fire and fire Water can for years by ash and dirt to be charged, as these substances can be washed into the drinking water areas.
Comparison with other Australian bushfires
Compared to other bushfires in terms of loss of human life and destruction of property, it was one of the zerstöreristischen fire that ever happened in Australia. Only the bushfires Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 and the bushfires in Victoria in 2009 caused more deaths. The bush fires in 1939 burned compared with the Australian bush fires, the second largest land area of 20,000 km ² after the bushfires in Victoria in 1851 of 50,000 km ².