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The bushfire season of the summer of 2017–18, was expected to have above normal bushfire risks with an elevated fire risk for the most of eastern and south Australian coastal areas. Australia had experienced its warmest winter on record and the ninth driest winter on record leaving dry fuel loads across much of southern Australia. Expected warmer weather over the summer period would also increase the risk. Bushfires were also expected to occur earlier, before the end of winter, as a result of the warm and dry winter. Both Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales experienced the wettest October since 1975 leading to a downgrade in bushfire risk.


Fires by state or territory


New South Wales

;September Two homes were lost in Comboyne in a fire that was battled by 100 fire fighters and 30 units. A shed a vehicle were also lost in a fire near Kempsey.
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
had its hottest September day on record with a temperature of on 12 September and the first total fire ban for the season was issued. Fires broke out in the
Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...
quickly engulfing , with 75 other fires burning around the state. ;March On 18 March, a bushfire that began in Reedy Swamp spread east to the town of Tathra, on the NSW South Coast. Around 150 firefighters worked to control the blaze, which destroyed or damaged approximately 70 homes. 300 people spent the night at an evacuation centre at the Bega Showgrounds, and by midday on 19 March, in excess of of land was burnt. Around midday on 19 March, there was still no public access to Tathra, and four local schools were closed due to the impact on staff and students. By the afternoon of the same day, the
New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting government agency, agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the la ...
confirmed that 69 homes and buildings, and an additional 30 caravans and cabins were destroyed, 39 buildings were damaged and 398 homes were saved. The RFS estimated the total number of buildings destroyed was 'seventy-plus'. It is understood that the fire was caused by a failure in electrical infrastructure. ;April Due to strong westerly winds and unseasonably warm weather, a bushfire, described as "ferocious", began in southwestern Sydney on 15 April, in Glenfield, where it eventually spread to Casula, Moorebank, Holsworthy, New South Wales, Wattle Grove and Menai, and towards the southeast, with Heathcote Road eventually being closed. Over 500 firefighters and 15 aircraft worked to fight the blaze. Inhabitants in Holsworthy, Voyager Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point were told to seek shelter from the fire's blistering heat as "it is too late to leave", the
New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting government agency, agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the la ...
informed. Hundreds of residents were evacuated after the fire moved swiftly to the properties at Holsworthy and Wattle Grove, as well as towards Holsworthy Barracks.
Ember attack An ember attack is when, during a bushfire, embers (also known as firebrands) such as burning twigs, bark fragments, moss or leaf, leaves become temporarily airborne and are carried by winds in a cluster. Fuel characteristics that make plentiful a ...
also affected residents in the Illawong, Bangor, Picnic Point and
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. Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...
visited the Rural Fire Service centre in
Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...
on Sunday afternoon as authorities reported some properties in Menai may have been affected. Turnbull stated, "Clearly with the wind increasing in strength the situation is worsening but there are outstanding efforts to control this fire being undertaken". Earlier that day, firefighters stated the wind would hinder their endeavours to put out the large fire, which began in Casula. "The combination of so much active fire on the ground, coupled with this forecast of very strong winds is the overlying challenge," Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. Police have set up a
crime scene A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcement. ...
and are finding out if the "fast-moving" bushfires burning out-of-control in southern Sydney were deliberately lit. The RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, concluded on that even though there had still been no
property damage Property damage (sometimes called damage to property) is the damage or destruction of real or tangible personal property, caused by negligence, willful destruction, or an act of nature. Destruction of property (sometimes called property de ...
or serious injury from the fiery blaze, the “volatile, dynamic, and dangerous” fire was posing a stern challenge for the 500 firefighter.


Victoria

;March On 19 March windy and dry conditions across Victoria led to over 160 grassfires and bushfires. A fire near Terang reached over , one in Gnotuk-Camperdown approximately , and in Garvoc approximately . There were at least 18 houses lost in the fires. The Terang fire was declared under control on 20 March.


Queensland

;August Three homes were destroyed by a fire in
Noosa The Shire of Noosa () is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it w ...
North Shore and another two damaged. Another fire in
Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...
burned out of bush and farmland and threatened Corbould Racecourse. ;November A fire on 6 November in a National Park near Bells Creek burned out of forest before being brought under control. Another fire on the same day near Landsborough needed 30 trucks to control a fire that burned over of forest and threatened Australia Zoo.


Western Australia

;January On 14 January a large fire south of Sawyers Valley burnt through approximately jumping the Mundaring Weir. The smoke covered most of the Perth metro region. On 29 January a fire started just outside of the Augusta townsite in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. The fire moved rapidly on both sides of the Bussell Highway. An emergency warning was issued for the area. Multiple sheds and one derelict house were destroyed. At midnight on 30 January a fire started in the Perth Hills suburb of Gidgegannup. A warning was issued and was upgraded an hour later. A few hours later a fire started in Kings Park at one stage threatening homes in Shenton Park. ;February On 1 February an emergency warning was issued for Elleker in the
City of Albany The City of Albany is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about south-southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of , including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the ...
. The fire was contained a few hours later. ;May Albany was menaced by 30 active fires late in May. One of the fires burned about west of Albany around Redmond and another burned about north west of Albany around Porongurup and Napier. At least one home was lost to fire near Wellstead in a fire that burned out an area of , the Porongurup fire lost an area of .


See also

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List of Australian bushfire seasons A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 Australian Bushfire Season Bushfire seasons in Australia Australian Bushfire Season Australian Bushfire Season 2017 disasters in Australia 2018 disasters in Australia 2010s fires in Oceania