Fire and Water: Sustaining the Land

Abstract

In February 2009, a series of enormous fires raged out of control across 1.1 million acres of land in the Australian state of Victoria, north of the city of Melbourne. There were 173 people reported killed as a result of the fires, and many others were injured and/or lost their homes. The initial day of the fires became known retrospectively as “Black Saturday.” This “bush fire” was recorded to have been responsible for the highest ever loss of life in Australian fire history, and among the causes cited were strong winds and an unusually rain-free summer.