2018 Tathra bushfire

2018 Tathra bushfire
Location Tathra, South Coast, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 36°44′S 149°58′E / 36.733°S 149.967°E / -36.733; 149.967Coordinates: 36°44′S 149°58′E / 36.733°S 149.967°E / -36.733; 149.967
Statistics
Date(s) 18 – 19 March 2018 (2018-03-19)
Burned area 150 to 1,000 hectares (370 to 2,470 acres)[1][2]
Cause Electrical infrastructure failure (likely)[3][4]
Land use
  • Residential
  • Farmland
  • Forest reserves
Buildings
destroyed		 As of 19 March:[5]
  • 69 houses
  • 30 caravans and cabins;
  • 39 houses damaged
Map
Location of the bushfire in New South Wales

The 2018 Tathra bushfire was a bushfire that burned between 18 and 19 March 2018 and primarily affected parts of the South Coast region in the Australian state of New South Wales. The fire, understood to have been caused by a failure in electrical infrastructure,[3][4] began in the locality of Reedy Swamp, near Tarraganda, which spread east towards Tathra in the municipality of the Bega Valley Shire.[6]

Estimates of the area burned ranged between 150 to 1,000 hectares (370 to 2,470 acres) of residential areas, farmland and forest reserves.[1][2]

Background

Between July 2017 and February 2018 over 11,000 uncontrolled bushfires burnt 237,869 hectares (587,790 acres) across New South Wales; with major fires in the Sydney, Shoalhaven/Jervis Bay, Hunter, Mid Coast, Port Stephens, the Pilliga, Southern Tablelands, Mid Western and Tamworth/New England areas. December 2017 was the fifth-warmest December on record.[7] In February 2018 the Minister for Emergency Services, Troy Grant, urged the public to help fire agencies by ensuring they remain prepared for fires.[8]

Emergency situation

Starting in the locality of Reedy Swamp, near Tarraganda on 18 March 2018, by the evening the fire had reached the town of Tathra, destroying homes and blocking one of only two roads out of the town.[9] Around 35 homes were thought to have been damaged or destroyed, as well as a local school.[10] An emergency evacuation centre for people affected by the fire was set up at the Bega Showgrounds.[1] On 19 March, multiple schools in the area were closed due to students and staff being affected by the fire, namely Bega High School, Tathra Public School, Tanja Public School and the Bournda Environmental Education Centre.[11] As of 10:40pm on 18 March 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) had been burnt.[12] By the morning of 19 March up to seventy buildings were believed to have been lost, and more than 200 people sought shelter at the Bega evacuation centre.[13] On the afternoon of 19 March, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) confirmed that 69 homes and 30 caravans and cabins were destroyed and 39 were damaged, and 398 houses were saved or untouched.[5][14] The RFS stated that the total number of buildings destroyed is most likely 'seventy-plus'.[15]

Response

The NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly and Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, visited Tathra soon after the fire and met with evacuated people at the Bega Showgrounds.[16]

On 26 March 2018 Berejiklian and Constance announced that up to $10 million was available to remove asbestos-contaminated material and to help residents to clean up their properties; with the clean-up operation coordinated by NSW Public Works in conjunction with insurers and the Bega Valley Shire Council.[17] On 29 March Prime Minister Turnbull officially declared the Tathra and Reedy Swamp areas a disaster zone for the purposes of affected residents accessing Australian disaster relief funds.[18] The NSW Government appointed Euan Ferguson AFSM as the official Recovery Coordinator and announced that impacted residents could access disaster relief grants to eligible individuals and families whose homes and essential household contents have been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster; small business were provided access to free independent and confidential business advice; NSW Family and Community Services provided a range of temporary housing support options; and a range of other support services were provided.[19] The Bega Valley Shire Council established a Mayoral Appeal Fund, under the chairmanship of Councillor Kristy McBain, the Mayor; and by 31 March 2018, over $400,000 had been raised.[20]

Investigations

Amidst complaints by residents that there was a failure in an emergency communication system,[2] the NSW Government instituted a commission of inquiry, headed by Mick Keelty AO APM, a former Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. The focus of the inquiry was on the call taking and dispatch arrangements of both Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service.[21] Under the Coroner's Act 2009, the New South Wales Coroner instituted a coronial inquiry to establish the cause and origin of the bushfire.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smyth, Ben (18 March 2018). "Tathra evacuated as out of control bushfire destroys property". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Gleeson, Ashleigh; Bickers, Claire; Hansen, Nick; Harris, Christopher (20 March 2018). "Tathra bushfire: Residents demand to know where warning was as up to 70 homes destroyed". news.com.au. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Tathra fire investigation" (PDF) (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Knaus, Christopher (22 March 2018). "Tathra bushfire: NSW Rural Fire Service says power lines likely cause". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Initial assessment of fire affected area - Tathra" (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "EMERGENCY WARNING - Reedy Swamp fire (Bega LGA) - Fire impacting on homes on edges of Tathra. Seek shelter as the fire arrives to protect yourself from the heat of the fire". New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Twitter.com. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Monthly Weather Review - Australia: December 2017" (PDF). Australian Bureau of Statistics. Commonwealth of Australia. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Grant, Troy (9 February 2018). "Minister urges public to remain prepared with ongoing dry conditions" (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "EMERGENCY WARNING - Reedy Swamp fire (Bega LGA) - Fire impacting on #Tathra. Seek shelter. It is too late to leave". New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Twitter.com. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Up to 35 homes, school lost to bushfire on NSW south coast". The Daily Telegraph. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Major Fire Update Details". New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Bushfire Emergency Warning: Reedy Swamp, Bega". www.google.org. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Firefighters fear 70 homes and buildings lost in NSW south coast bushfire". ABC News. Australia. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "'Stay away': 69 houses lost in 'perfect storm' fire still burning in NSW town". ABC News. Australia. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "Seventy homes and buildings destroyed in Tathra fire". ABC News. Australia. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "Tathra residents urged to stay away amid asbestos fears". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  17. ↑ Berejiklian, Gladys; Constance, Andrew (26 March 2018). "Tathra Clean Up Fund to Assist Residents" (Press release). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  18. ↑ Turnbull, Malcolm (29 March 2018). "Declaring the March 2018 Tathra Bushfires (Bega Valley Shire of New South Wales) a Disaster for Tax Purposes" (Press release). Government of Australia. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  19. ↑ Ferguson, Euan (28 March 2018). "Community Newsletter: Tathra & District Fire Recovery Committee" (PDF). Department of Justice (1 ed.). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  20. ↑ "Mayoral Appeal Fund". Tathra Emergency & Recovery. Bega Valley Shire Council. 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  21. ↑ "Independent investigation to be held into Bega Valley bush fire" (PDF) (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
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