Black Thursday bushfires
The Black Thursday bushfires were a devastating series of fires that swept the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria) in Australia, on 6 February 1851, burning up 5 million hectares (12 million acres; 50,000 square kilometres; 19,000 square miles), or about a quarter of the state's area. Twelve people died, along with one million sheep, thousands of cattle and countless native animals.
| Black Thursday bushfires | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | 6 February 1851 |
| Location | Victoria, Australia |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 12 |
| Livestock losses | over 1,000,000 |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Heat wave, careless burning |
"The temperature became torrid, and on the morning of the 6th of February 1851, the air which blew down from the north resembled the breath of a furnace. A fierce wind arose, gathering strength and velocity from hour to hour, until about noon it blew with the violence of a tornado. By some inexplicable means it wrapped the whole country in a sheet of flame – fierce, awful, and irresistible."