The Day the Scorched Earth Wind Wailed--Memories of Black Saturday (February 2009)

The Day the Scorched Earth Wind Wailed--Memories of Black Saturday (February 2009)

The wildfires that ravaged the state of Victoria, Australia, in February 2009 became an unprecedented disaster that will be remembered as "Black Saturday. In extreme conditions of 46 degrees Celsius, wind speeds of 100 km/h, and humidity of 5%, the fire spread rapidly, killing 173 people and injuring nearly 400. More than 2,000 houses were destroyed and 450,000 hectares were charred. More than 30,000 people were affected, and in one town, the flames were said to have raced through the city at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour.

The remote cause of the fires was the worsening drought caused by global warming and the resulting accumulation of dead trees and fallen leaves. In addition, changes in forest management policies, the expansion of the urban-nature boundary, and human factors such as collapsed power lines and arson have all contributed to the spread of damage. Black Saturday is the culmination of a series of similar tragedies.

The flames seemed to ignite not so much a natural disaster as the fragile structures upon which civilization has built itself. We have yet to answer the question posed by the winds that swept through the scorched earth.