1980 Ash Wednesday bushfires

Ash Wednesday I
Location Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Coordinates 34°54′40″S 138°42′26″E / 34.911194°S 138.707361°E / -34.911194; 138.707361Coordinates: 34°54′40″S 138°42′26″E / 34.911194°S 138.707361°E / -34.911194; 138.707361
Statistics
Cost $34,000,000
Date(s) 20 February 1980 (1980-02-20)
Burned area 3,770 ha (14.6 sq mi)
Cause Faulty power lines, arson, and negligence after years of extreme drought
Buildings
destroyed
  • 51 homes
  • 25 outbuildings
  • 75 farms damaged
Non-fatal injuries
  • 40 civilians
Map

The first Ash Wednesday fires were a series of bushfires that began in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, on Ash Wednesday, 20 February 1980.[1] 51 homes and 25 other buildings were destroyed, and 75 farms were affected. 40 people were injured, with 150 left homeless. The fire burnt an area of 3,770 ha (14.6 sq mi),[2] and caused an estimated $34,000,000 damage.[3]

In 1983, after the Ash Wednesday fires in February that year, the 1980 fire became known in South Australia as the "first" Ash Wednesday, or Ash Wednesday I.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Natural Hazards". Archived from the original on 11 February 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  3. ↑ http://www.ema.gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf/9d804be3fb07ff5cca256d1100189e22/4b698fde4f114d57ca256d3300057bcc?OpenDocument
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