New South Wales, 18-19 February 2017

Carwoola bushfire, 2017

Quick Statistics

2 Injured
11 Homes Destroyed

In February 2017, a grassfire in Carwoola, New South Wales (near Canberra) destroyed 11 homes, including the home of one of the firefighters battling the blaze; another 12 homes were damaged. The fire also destroyed 45 outbuildings and damaged a further 40. Two firefighters were injured during suppression operations. The fire is estimated to have burned over 3,500 hectares of land. 

Evacuation centres were established at the Bungendore Public School hall and the Q Theatre in nearby Queanbeyan. 

The fire started on a Total Fire Ban day; much of New South Wales was experiencing catastrophic fire weather conditions. During the period, a number of fires across the state caused significant property and livestock damage. 

Sources

This incident was included in the Major Incidents Report 2016-17 (Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 2017). The report acknowledges the following sources:

ABC News, 'Carwoola fire: Firefighters contain blaze but 11 homes destroyed," 19 February 2017. At: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-19/crews-contain-carwoola-blaze-but-11-homes-destroyed/8283848
Bureau of Meteorology 2017, Special Climate Statement 61 — exceptional heat in southeast Australia in early 2017. At: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs61.pdf
New South Wales Rural Fire Service 2017, 'Assessment of last week's fire affected areas completed,' media release, 18 February 2017. At: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/media-releases/assessment-of-last-weeks-fire-affected-areas-completed
New South Wales Rural Fire Service 2017, 'Initial assessment of Carwoola fire affected area,' media release, 18 February 2017. At: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/media-releases/initial-assessment-of-carwoola-fire-affected-area2
New South Wales Rural Fire Service 2017, 'Bush fire season draws to a close,' media release, 31 March 2017. At: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/media-releases/bush-fire-season-draws-to-a-close3

Additional sources:

New South Wales Office of Emergency Management 2017, 'Disaster assistance for the Queanbeyan-Palerang bushfire (Carwoola bushfire),' joint media release by The Hon Michael Keenan MP, Minister for Justice, and The Hon Troy Grant MP, Minister for Emergency Services. At: https://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/Pages/media-releases/2017/Disaster-assistance-for-the-Queanbeyan-Palerang-bushfire-(Carwoola-bushfire).aspx