Overview

On 13 February 2024, Victoria experienced a complex, high‑impact emergency event involving severe bushfires, destructive thunderstorms and damaging winds occurring at the same time. The combination of extreme fire weather, lightning strikes and a powerful cool change resulted in significant loss of power, damage to critical infrastructure, destruction of homes, and widespread disruption to communities across the state.

This event marked a major escalation in risk, including the first Catastrophic fire danger rating declared in Victoria since the 2019–20 fire season, highlighting the growing challenge of managing concurrent and compounding emergencies.

What happened

Hot, dry and windy conditions across much of Victoria led to extreme fire danger, particularly in western and central districts. During the afternoon and evening, a strong cold front crossed the state, triggering severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, dry lightning, and intense rainfall.

Lightning strikes ignited multiple fires, particularly in the Grampians region, while powerful wind gusts caused widespread storm damage across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne. The weather system caused major failures to the electricity transmission and distribution network, compounded by impacts to telecommunications and water services, creating a statewide emergency situation.

Key statistics (as reported)

Date: 13 February 2024

Fire danger ratings: Catastrophic – Wimmera and Extreme – Mallee, Central and Northern Country

Bushfires: 3 major fires across Victoria, Over 250 fires reported within 48 hours

Land burnt: Mt Stapylton and Bellfield fires burned 6,418 hectares combined

Properties impacted: 45 residential and 1 commercial property destroyed in Pomonal, 1 home destroyed at Dadswells Bridge, 37 homes deemed uninhabitable due to storm damage

Power outages: Over 531,000 customers without power at peak More than 12,000 km of powerlines damaged

Fatalities: 1 storm‑related fatality caused by flying debris

Emergency calls: Approximately 6,800 requests for assistance to VIC SES

Response effort

The scale and complexity of the event required a coordinated, multi‑agency response under Victoria’s emergency management arrangements.

• The State Control Centre (SCC) was escalated to Tier 3 (Red) due to overlapping Class 1 (natural hazard) and Class 2 (energy and telecommunications) emergencies.
• Fire agencies, led by Forest Fire Management Victoria and the CFA, responded to multiple major fires under catastrophic and extreme conditions.
• VIC SES led the storm response, managing thousands of callouts while simultaneously supporting fire operations.
• A statewide energy emergency was declared, with electricity providers and the Australian Energy Market Operator implementing emergency measures to stabilise supply.
• Register.Find.Reunite, operated by Australian Red Cross, was activated to support displaced residents.

Impacts and consequences

Fire impacts

• Fires in the Grampians National Park threatened multiple communities.
• The Bellfield fire destroyed much of the township of Pomonal, while the Mt Stapylton fire spread rapidly following the wind change and forced major road closures.
• These fires represented one of the busiest fire days since Black Summer.

Storm impacts

• Damaging winds exceeding 100 km/h caused extensive damage in Geelong, Bendigo, Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and South Gippsland.
• Trees and powerlines were brought down, roofs were damaged, roads blocked, and buildings impacted.
• Severe storm impacts were most acute in Mirboo North and Thorpdale, where communities experienced significant isolation.

Energy impacts

• Six major transmission towers near Anakie collapsed, triggering widespread blackouts.
• Some communities remained without power for more than one week, significantly affecting households, businesses and essential services.

Water and telecommunications

• Power loss disrupted water treatment and sewage systems, requiring bottled water distribution in affected communities.
• Telecommunications outages severely limited access to Triple Zero, mobile services and internet connectivity for extended periods, compounding safety risks and community distress.

Relief and recovery

More than $168 million was committed to support affected communities through relief and recovery programs, including:

• Emergency relief and re‑establishment payments
• Temporary accommodation and clean‑up programs
• Prolonged Power Outage Payments for households and businesses
• Trauma‑informed psychosocial support through the Recovery Support Program
• Operation of the Emergency Recovery Hotline, which received thousands of calls seeking assistance and information

Recovery activities focused on both immediate needs and long‑term community recovery, particularly for those impacted by repeated and overlapping emergencies.