Following an extremely dry 2017-18 summer, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast high temperatures and strong winds across south-west Victoria for the weekend of 17-18 March and a total fire ban was declared.

Hot, dry and gusty northerly winds ahead of a strong cold front subsequently produced some of Victoria’s worst bushfire conditions of the season. Fifty-three fires broke out between 8.00pm Saturday 17 March and 9.00am Sunday 18 March; four considered significant broke out near Gazette, Garvoc, Terang and Camperdown. Several of the fires, particularly in the Camperdown-Cobden area, moved subsequently underground into peat, creating complex challenges until early May.

In response to the fires, four Evacuate messages, 34 Emergency Warnings, 95 Warnings (Watch and Act) messages, 109 Advice messages, 34 Community Information messages and one All Clear were issued between 17 March and 8 May.

At least 26 agencies were involved at the incident level, including interstate support. There were 86 dispatches of aircraft between 18 March and 4 May. Remote piloted aerial systems also operated over a 41-day period between 23 March and 2 May.

Ten relief centres were established and attended by more than 800 people on 17 and 18 March. Drawing on lessons from previous events, including the Hazelwood Mine Fire, key fire management objectives in addition to fire suppression included community engagement, air quality, community health, consequence management, and relief and recovery. Health assessments for responders and the community were conducted over a 43-day period with a total of 1,332 assessments undertaken.

By the time the fires were extinguished, 26 residences and 66 outbuildings had been destroyed, with 2,995 livestock lost. The total area burnt by the fires included 9,725 hectares in Terang, 3,666 hectares in Gazette, 4,031 hectares in Garvoc, 6,725 hectares in Camperdown, 79 hectares in Cobrico Swamp and 28 hectares in Lake Elingamite.

The Insurance Council of Australia declared the south-west bushfires a catastrophe, ensuring that related insurance claims were treated as a priority.

The jointly funded Commonwealth and Victorian Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) – Category A and Category B were activated in recognition of the significant impact of the fires on the community. On 20 April 2018, Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack also activated NDRRA Category C Primary Producer Grants to a maximum of $10,000 for affected primary producers, to assist with recovery.