00:00Victoria is ignition saturated when it comes to bushfires.
00:07There are lots of reasons why a fire in Victoria can start and then become more destructive and deadly.
00:13First up, Victoria is full of flammable plant life that easily catches fire in extreme heat.
00:19From dry grass in the western plains to forests full of eucalyptus trees in lush hills and valleys.
00:25This vegetation is arguably denser than in other states and territories.
00:31In dry years, this plant life creates massive long tracks of potential fuel for an inferno.
00:38Secondly, hot, dry desert air sweeps in regularly over South Australia, parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
00:45But Victoria is also closer to Antarctica. Cold blasts in from the Southern Ocean.
00:51This mix of powerful winds creates extreme fire danger. Dry lightning storms can also happen.
00:57And the mix of winds is powerful and dynamic.
01:01Bushfires can easily travel more than 25 kilometres an hour pushed by strong winds.
01:06And the pace increases when going uphill, doubling in speed every 10 degrees.
01:12Gusts can also push embers and bark from trees kilometres ahead of the fire front.
01:17Adding to the danger are those dramatic wind shifts that happen here in Victoria.
01:22A bushfire pushed in one direction, say 10 kilometres in length, but one kilometre in the front is only a danger this way.
01:29But sudden changes in wind direction as a cool change hits can see that 10 kilometres length now be the fire front.
01:36And suddenly new towns are in peril.
01:39And here's another major factor. Victorians live, work and play in most of the state.
01:45There are more than 7 million people living in Victoria.
01:49And while most live in Melbourne, there are towns, campsites and holiday homes spread out.
01:54More people means more chance of fire could start intentionally and accidentally.
01:59But it also means when a fire starts, it's more likely going to be a threat and be destructive to people.
02:05This becomes clearer when we look at the rest of the nation.
02:09There are bigger populations in larger jurisdictions.
02:12There are actually more fires in Northern Australia.
02:15But when they do happen, they usually aren't near people or infrastructure.
02:19In Victoria, when fires happen, they can easily intensify and become devastating, destroying homes and threatening lives.
Comments