1939 Australia Fire: Frightening Facts That Devastated Australia

Australia is one of the world's most densely populated countries, with appealing towns and cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

Due to extremely hot climatic conditions, bushfires are often reported in Australia during the summer. The climate becomes so dry that strong winds spread fire easily. This can be made worse by artificial fire caused by human activity.

The 1939 Australia fire, also known as the Black Friday bushfires, was one of the largest fires that destroyed reserved forest areas. Intense fires burned down woods into ashes. The main fire in the forest started on January 13, 1939, in Victoria, Australia.

The bush fires in the forest were so devastating that the ashes reached New Zealand. The dry heat and bushfires destroyed three-quarters of Victoria. This is included in the worst bushfires in history and led to high temperatures in nearby areas.

The flames of the fire were so high and massive that old giant trees were lost, and the burning bark of the trees led to large amounts of ash falling. The bushfires burned almost 4,900,000 ac (2,000,000 ha) of forest land along with valuable timber.

The residential losses reported as a result of the fire included 1300 homes, 69 sawmills, and 3,700 structures. The destruction was massive and killed an estimated 71 people. A royal commission was then assigned to look after the forest land by the Victorian government.

New South Wales and the Federal Capital Territory faced the worst of the rising smoke and flames. First, the New South Wales coast, then Bathurst, Sydney, and finally Canberra were affected.

The South Australian Forest land was also destroyed by the bushfires. January 1939 marked the Black Friday Fires for the country. The major fires reported in January 1939 in Victoria, were the result of careless burning due to human activity.

Can you imagine what great loss of flora and fauna the forests suffered due to these massive bushfires? The plants burned down into ashes, and forest animals were burned.

What led to this was just the careless activity of humans while exploring forest lands. The burning of one tree led to new fires and destruction that moved to South Australia. 'Black Friday' was not only a terrible loss for humans but also for the animals of the forests.

The Victorian bushfires destroyed town areas along with forests, such as Narbethong, Hill End, Woods Point, and Noojee. The 1974-1975 Australian bushfires, 2002 Northern Territory bushfires, and 2009's 'Black Saturday' were all some of Australia's worst bushfires.

If you enjoy reading this article about the massive fire of South Wales and South Australia, then do read some other interesting and surprising facts about the 1935 Houston flood and the 1944 Vesuvius eruption.

How long did the bushfires last?

The Black Friday Bushfires started on January 13, 1939, and ended on January 15, 1939, when the area affected received rainfall.

The Black Friday bushfires were so strong, along with the winds, that the ashes of their remnants reached New Zealand. The Black Friday, or Victorian bushfires, started on January 13, 1939, when drought hit the Victorian state.

The high temperature and dry heat, along with strong winds, were the main factors that led to the burning of forests and destroyed the valuable timber within them.

As per a few reports, it was also reported that fires were seen in a few areas since the beginning of December 1938, which later turned into massive forest fires. Even so, careless burning due to human activity was one of the main factors in the burning of vast amounts of flora and fauna.

Landowners and grazers burned bushes for cattle grazing, but this was done carelessly, and the Black Friday fires began. The northward wind pressure made the two forest fires reach each other, and together they created havoc.

So, it can be assumed that the fires of January 13, 1939, lasted for two days and grew larger when they mixed with the forest fires of December 1938.

The fires, due to the human activities of clearing bushes, and the December fire, due to natural climatic conditions, made it worse for the people of the area. A forest commission was later set up for the forest land so that such massive and destructive fires could be avoided by the people and animals of the forest.

How many animals died in the Black Friday bushfires?

There is no exact estimate of the number of animals killed in the Black Friday bushfires. Generally, as per a few records in Australia, bushfires have burnt 480 million live animals and destroyed their natural habitat.

There is no doubt that natural calamities and human activities have contributed in their own ways to bringing destruction to the animal kingdom. Massive destruction has caused the habitat loss of animals. This is one of the major reasons why most animal species are becoming threatened, endangered, or extinct.

Even domestic cattle, horses, sheep, and hens were killed in their thousands. The small areas covered by the fires were the Mornington Peninsula, Mallee, East Gippsland, and Mount Macedon, and the major areas were the Victoria Alps or Yarra Ranges, Portland, Otway Ranges, Grampians, and Strzelecki Ranges.

The Victorian bushfires also affected owl species and Leadbeater's possum species, but what about the other species of the animal kingdom which were affected by the bushfires of 1939? It is humans who are indirectly responsible for this massive destruction, apart from fires arising due to natural climatic changes.

However, human activities are also contributing to climate change. So, we should take care of the flora and fauna around us and contribute to an eco-friendly environment by creating more forests and natural spaces.

It should be one of our main goals to preserve the environment. Irrespective of the number of animals killed in the bushfire, the major concern should be the preventive measures to protect them in the future.

Why does Australia keep getting affected by wildfires?

Australian land is often affected by fires in the wild, either due to climatic changes or due to human activities. Both of these reasons are equally responsible for the fires on Australian land.

The Bureau of Meteorology states that the change in the climate of Australia is the foremost and reason for bushfires in the country. For this reason, the fires in forest lands are becoming more severe and are destroying hectares of land, including residential land.

Australia is known to have an extremely hot climate, which makes the land drier and, along with strong winds, fires can easily occur in the forest land.

From the month of November until January, Australia is known to receive less rainfall, and due to the extremely hot climate, low precipitation makes it difficult for the flora and fauna of the country. Even people develop respiratory problems due to the smoke in the environment.

Forest fires in New South Wales, the North Territory, Victoria, and most parts of Australia are known to cause fires in forests.

Apart from this natural cause, the human activities of burning bushes and clearing forest land have also contributed to Australia's wildfires. Campfires are also another cause of fires and occur when people go to forest areas to enjoy their weekends. Due to this, up until now, around 480 million animals in the forest have been killed by fires.

What was the economic cost of the Black Friday bushfire?

The Black Friday bushfires, or Victorian bushfires, created a disastrous situation in their aftermath for the forest land. The estimated destruction caused was worth $750 million, along with the deaths of forest animals and 71 people.

Along with Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, towns and cities had to face the worst of the fires in the forest in 1939. Hectares of land, oil production, and small water reservoirs were affected by the fire. The forest soil lost its natural fertility, and it took years to come back to its natural state.

Burnt wreckages, wood ashes, and dirt destroyed water reservoirs and were later washed away by rivers due to heavy precipitation. Giant trees and forest animals became prey to the fires. The mature mountain ash forests, along with the Leadbeater's possum and owl species, got burned.

If you ever visit Australia and explore the Yarra Ranges National Park, Healsville, then you will easily be able to spot the ash trees known as 'stags' in the upper canopies of the trees.

A Royal Commission was assigned by the Victorian government to look into the care of forest land and avoid massive mass destruction as much as possible.

Burnt trees were harvested before they rotted due to heavy precipitation and became of no use.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions to learn about the 1939 Australia fire, then why not take a look at some facts about the 1972 Iran blizzard or 1985 earthquake in Mexico?