Before the Fires
Before January 2003, there had been a buildup of fuel around canberra. An El Nino event in 2002 and 2003 drove these conditions. El Nino is a phase of the Southern Oscillation that brings drier conditions to Australia; particularly the east. Low rainfall and high temperatures over the past months created a dangerous climate for fires. This graph shows the dryness of the soil using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index:
| Month | Median Rain |
Actual Rain |
Rain Anomaly |
Mean Max Temp |
02/03 Mean Max Temp |
Temp Anomaly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 37.6 | 21.2 | -16.4 | 19.8 | 22.4 | +2.6 |
| May | 39.7 | 27.0 | -12.7 | 15.4 | 16.3 | +0.9 |
| June | 30.3 | 40.8 | +10.5 | 12.2 | 13.2 | +1.0 |
| July | 36.9 | 16.8 | -20.1 | 11.2 | 12.5 | +1.3 |
| Aug | 45.6 | 22.8 | -22.8 | 12.9 | 14.8 | +1.9 |
| Sept | 53.5 | 58.4 | +4.9 | 16.0 | 17.7 | +1.7 |
| Oct | 55.5 | 11.6 | -43.9 | 19.2 | 21.3 | +2.1 |
| Nov | 55.5 | 10.4 | -45.1 | 22.5 | 27.5 | +5.0 |
| Dec | 39.4 | 18.2 | -21.2 | 26.1 | 28.1 | +2.0 |
| Jan | 47.7 | 10.4 | -37.3 | 27.8 | 30.5 | +2.7 |
On the 8th of January, an electrical storm passed over the area. The storm was accompanied by strong winds; northwesterly winds 30- 35 km/h, with gusts reaching 45 km/h as the decaying showers passed. This ignited fires in the mountains. These fires were referred to as the, Bendora, Stockyard Spur, Gingera, McIntyre Hut, and Mount Morgan fires. McIntyre Hut and Mount Morgan were in NSW with others reported at Yarrangobilly and Broken Cart.
The Fires Spread
The fires were first noticed by on-duty fire tower observers. They sent word and emergency services responded. Firebird 7, the ACT Bushfire Service’s contracted light helicopter, was sent in for reconnaissance. 
And two response teams, who were on standby because of the harsh conditions, went into the mountains. They arrived at 6pm. Firebird 7 gave their situation report: “Okay this fire’s doing about 100 metres from the Warks Road uphill. It’s drawing into itself, it’s not moving very fast ... we can access the eastern side of it from Warks Road with tankers and light units but we will need rake hoe lines around the top section and water bombing on the top section as well the fuel loads fairly heavy from wet sclerophyll forest”.
However, efforts to fight the fires halted overnight due to bad conditions. The terrain was unfamiliar and unkempt, with fallen trees and debris blocking passageway, and the fire crews were not fully stocked for a night of fighting without assistance. The Duty Coordinator at ESB headquarters told everybody to come home: “Thanks for your attendance at this incident. You may return to your area and crews will be returning in the morning”.
On thursday the 9th, crews were back to work, arriving at the staging area at 6:00 am. The conditions were fine, and would stay that way for a week. With winds around 10-30 km/h, heading south-west, and a fire danger index from 14 to 19. During the first week hundreds of personnel and equipment were assigned to the fires. By friday it was over 100 and by the following thursday, it was 250 people. The NSW rural fire service, ACT bushfire service, ACT fire brigade, and various others contributed people from as far as Lismore. The Snowy Hydro Southcare helicopter was one of the first helicopters employed in water bombing, later complemented by 4 navy helicopters, 2 Navy Seahawks for water bombing and 2 Navy Squirrels for reconnaissance, arriving on monday the 13th. Bulldozers were employed to create fire breaks, the first made on the 9th at the Uriarra pine plantation to protect it from the McIntyre Hut fire as it expanded rapidly without direct attack from fire fighters, which was made impossible from poor access and dangerous terrain.
Throughout the first few days access remained bad. The stockyard Spur fire was particularly bad, and efforts to contain it were largely focussed on creating fire breaks. Resources were mostly spent on the Bendora and Gingera fires, with controlled burns at Bendora overnight on the weekend. A staging ground was established in the Brindabella Mountains.
On Monday the 13th, a helicopter crashed into Bendora Dam. The pilot, Duncan Patrick, made a full recovery (ABC News article on Duncan Patrick's Crash), after being rescued by nearby helicopter crews (Mike Toms and Euan Mckenzie rescue Duncan Patrick) attending the fire.
Overnight at approximately 2:00 am, on Tuesday the 14th, the Gingera and Stockyard Spur fires joined. Together they created a burn area over 2000 hectares. The fire pushed into NSW under a easterly wind. The Bendora fire was also expanding quickly. Backburning that night provided a continuous containment line around the south-western, southern and south-eastern flanks of the fire, but the fire managed to grow into the west.
On Wednesday the 15th a significant increase in resources was requested by the Chief Fire Control Officer to be delivered by the NSW Rural Fire Service: additional aerial resources, four task forces of five units with support and associated vehicles, and additional staff in the Incident Control System teams, numbering over 200 additional personnel.
Thursday marked the start of the rapid expansion. Conditions were bad, with low humidity and higher temperatures. The fire danger index reached 30. 200 firefighters arrived ready for the coming two days ...
The 17th of January
Friday saw a rapid change in the situation. The conditions were bad, with a fire danger index reaching 50, 36 degree heat, 15% humidity, and winds that were light in the morning, but reached 30 - 35 km/h for the afternoon. The fires became an immediate danger to property particularly in Tidbinbilla and Tharwa. At 4.30 pm a task force began property protection around Tidbinbilla, remaining in until around midnight. In Tharwa back-burning operations started at midnight continuing into the early morning.
More coming soon; stay tuned to our twitter to see the latest updates.
