Economic impact
The firestorm charred towns and farms in Central Victoria, North- East Melbourne and the state’s West Gippsland Region. In the blaze, 4500 square kilometres of pastures and parks. The 14 fires burnt around 430,000 hectares.
Fauna was majorly affected by the fires with the RSPCA reporting ‘more than 1 million deaths in the fires’. The main types of animals that were affected were possums, owls, parrots, koalas and some fish. They were affected both directly through burns and smoke and their habitat was also destroyed by the blaze. These animals depend on their habitats, which may include, streams, rainforests and trees for their food and protection and subsequently there was a large decline in the population of these animals.
The bushfires dumped large amounts of ash, debris, soil and sediment into the major water catchments, contaminating water supplies and ruining drinking water. The two main dams that were affected by the smoke were the O’Shannassy and the Maroondah Dams The burnt, dead trees meant that new trees needed to be planted which would require more water for them to grow.
Native marine animals such as the Barred Galaxias and the Spotted Tree Frog would be affected by the ash, which forms sediments and are at risk of extinction in the future.
The firestorm impacted the rainforests considerably, threatening remarkably ancient tree
The fires destroyed over 2,030 houses, 3,500+ structures in total and damaged thousands more. Many towns north-east of the state capital Melbourne were badly damaged or almost completely destroyed, including Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen and Flowerdale. Many houses in the towns of Steels Creek, Humevale, Wandong, St Andrews, Callignee, Taggerty and Koornalla were also destroyed or severely damaged, with several fatalities recorded at each location. The fires affected 78 individual townships in total and displaced an estimated 7,562 people, many of whom sought temporary accommodation, much of it donated in the form of spare rooms, caravans, tents and beds in community relief centres.
Fauna was majorly affected by the fires with the RSPCA reporting ‘more than 1 million deaths in the fires’. The main types of animals that were affected were possums, owls, parrots, koalas and some fish. They were affected both directly through burns and smoke and their habitat was also destroyed by the blaze. These animals depend on their habitats, which may include, streams, rainforests and trees for their food and protection and subsequently there was a large decline in the population of these animals.
The bushfires dumped large amounts of ash, debris, soil and sediment into the major water catchments, contaminating water supplies and ruining drinking water. The two main dams that were affected by the smoke were the O’Shannassy and the Maroondah Dams The burnt, dead trees meant that new trees needed to be planted which would require more water for them to grow.
Native marine animals such as the Barred Galaxias and the Spotted Tree Frog would be affected by the ash, which forms sediments and are at risk of extinction in the future.
The firestorm impacted the rainforests considerably, threatening remarkably ancient tree
The fires destroyed over 2,030 houses, 3,500+ structures in total and damaged thousands more. Many towns north-east of the state capital Melbourne were badly damaged or almost completely destroyed, including Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen and Flowerdale. Many houses in the towns of Steels Creek, Humevale, Wandong, St Andrews, Callignee, Taggerty and Koornalla were also destroyed or severely damaged, with several fatalities recorded at each location. The fires affected 78 individual townships in total and displaced an estimated 7,562 people, many of whom sought temporary accommodation, much of it donated in the form of spare rooms, caravans, tents and beds in community relief centres.