2015–16 Australian bushfire season
| 2015–16 Australian bushfire season | |
|---|---|
Bushfire damage from the Waroona fire, January 2016
|
|
| Location | Australia |
| Statistics | |
| Date(s) | Winter (June) 2015 – Autumn (May) 2016 |
| Buildings destroyed |
900+ total — 408 houses — 500+ non-residential structures |
| Fatalities | 9 total — 8 civilians — 1 RFS volunteer firefighter (heath complications while fighting fire) |
| Season | |
The 2015–16 Australian bushfire season was the most destructive bushfire season in terms of property loss since the 2008–09 Australian bushfire season, with the loss of 408 houses and at least 500 non-residential buildings as a result of wild fires between 1 June 2015 and 31 May 2016. The season also suffered the most human fatalities since the 2008–09 Australian bushfire season; 6 died in Western Australia, 2 in South Australia and 1 in New South Wales. 8 deaths were as a direct result of fire, and a volunteer firefighter died due to unrelated health complications while on duty.
The season witnessed four notable fires; the Cascades fire in Western Australia, the Pinery fire in South Australia, the Great Ocean Road fire in Victoria, and the Harvey-Waroona fire in Western Australia.
A longer, more severe season was predicted, with an above normal potential for bushfires—particularly along the west and east coasts—as the result of the strengthening El Niño over the Pacific Ocean and warmer sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean.
In Victoria, large areas of the Wimmera and the Western District had their lowest recorded rainfall in the three years to 31 July 2015, and significant areas of the Goldfields, North Central, Otways and Yarra Valley recorded "very much below average" rainfall over the same period. In Western Australia, the Goldfields-Esperance, Peel and South West regions were expected to experience "above normal fire potential" due to a lack of rainfall, soil dryness and high fuel loads; the Peel and South West regions were at specific risk, having experienced their 8th driest year on record in 2015. The Great Southern, Peel, Perth and South West regions suffered record rainfall deficiencies for the 16-year period to 31 March 2016.
...
Wikipedia