Black Friday bushfires

The Black Friday bushfires occurred on 13 January 1939 in Victoria, killing seventy-one people and destroying about 2 million hectares of land. Record-breaking heat, drought and low humidity created the perfect conditions for bushfires. Prior to Black Friday, small bushfires had been burning since the first week of January. Farmers and bushies (people who live in the bush) unintentionally contributed to the size and intensity of the bushfires by lighting small fires to serve as protective barriers. The powerful winds on Black Friday fanned the existing bushfires to create one large intense bushfire that caused catastrophic damage. Embers from this fire travelled long distances in the wind, igniting additional bushfires.

In addition to claiming 71 lives, the Black Friday bushfires destroyed at least 1,300 buildings, including nearly 700 homes and 69 sawmills and many businesses and farms. Whole townships were razed, and thousands of domesticated sheep, horses and cattle perished.

The Black Friday bushfires burned throughout the summer and were only extinguished when it finally rained. They were among the worst bushfires ever recorded in Australia. The effects of the bushfires can still be seen in the twenty-first century with altered landscapes and burnt trees still standing. Prior to the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, which killed 173 people, Black Friday was considered the worst disaster in Victoria’s history.

The Start of the Bushfires

The Black Friday bushfires were the culmination of a long drought combined with record-breaking temperatures, low humidity and strong winds. Bodies of water had dried up, and forest floors had become brittle. The Royal Commission that investigated the fires after they were extinguished concluded that Victoria had not seen such dry conditions for at least two decades.

Smaller bushfires were already burning in the area before 13 January. Most had begun during the first week of January. Some had been deliberately set by farmers and bushies to form protective barriers against other fires. These bushfires were mainly left unattended but were believed to be under control.

On Black Friday, the temperature soared to 44.7 degrees Celsius in Melbourne and 47.2 degrees Celsius in Mildura. Powerful northern winds fanned these smaller bushfires, combining them to create one massive fire, which at first burned in the mountain country in north-east Victoria and along the south-west coast. The enormous sheet of fire completely destroyed the towns of Hill End, Narbethong, Noojee, Woods Point and Nayook West.

The powerful wind knocked over enormous trees, with the fire burning their bark. Embers from the burned bark were blown far ahead of the fire, starting new bushfires in other places. Having abundant fuel, the bushfires raged, quickly devouring more towns in Victoria. Workers in sawmills became trapped and died. Some tried to escape by running but were caught in the fast-moving flames. At one sawmill in Matlock, which is east of Melbourne, fifteen of the sixteen men who worked there perished.

The bushfires significantly harmed Victoria’s environment. The damage caused to forests in the area was unprecedented. Large state forests containing valuable trees burned. Recovering burnt timber after the bushfires proved to be a monumental effort and was exacerbated by labour shortages caused by World War II (1939–1945). Animal habitats were destroyed. Many mammals and birds lived in large tree hollows, which were destroyed when the mountain ash forests burned.

The bushfires also caused air and water pollution and significantly damaged the soil. The air was heavily polluted with thick smoke and ash, which was reported to be falling from the sky as far as New Zealand. Creeks and rivers were polluted with ash, dirt and burnt debris, which persisted for years after the rain helped extinguish the bushfires. In some places, the soil was burned so badly that it took decades for it to return to its normal chemistry.

Thousands of firefighters battled the Black Friday bushfires. However, they were unable to combat fires of this magnitude with their rudimentary tools such as hand-pumped water sprayers, picks, shovels and rakes. The Back Friday bushfires were not extinguished until it rained.

Aftermath and Impact

Because of the devastation caused by Black Friday, Victoria’s government took steps to prevent future bushfires and better suppress them when they did occur. The Royal Commission that investigated the Black Friday bushfires recommended actions that are still being taken in the twenty-first century. The first recommendation was to add a provision to the Forests Act of 1939 enabling the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (then the Forests Commission) to take control of fire suppression and management on public land in Victoria including national and state parks. Prior to this, both the Forests Commission and the Board of Works were responsible for fire management, which created confusion regarding the responsibilities of each organisation. A strategic program to periodically burn areas in a controlled way was developed. Doing this rids forest floors of dead vegetation, clearing the way for the growth of new plants, which do not burn as easily. In 1944, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) was established to manage fires on private land outside greater Melbourne. Fire towers were placed in strategic locations to ensure that bushfires would be detected early and suppressed. A network of roadways was built in Victoria to allow firefighters to access remote areas that were previously inaccessible. Safety measures were now required to be taken at sawmills, and grazing licenses were mandatory for farmers.

One of the most significant changes brought on by the Black Friday bushfires was the development of protective gear and tools for firefighters. Prior to this, they had used wet hessian, or burlap, sacks to put out fires and had no professional firefighter training. After Black Friday, they were provided with protective equipment such as overalls and helmets. They were required to attend fire safety training classes and trained to drive specialised firefighting vehicles. Victoria began using aircraft to locate new bushfires and water-bomb them.

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