2018 Tathra bushfire

2018 Tathra bushfire
Date(s)18 – 19 March 2018 (2018-03-19)
LocationTathra, South Coast, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates36°44′S 149°58′E / 36.733°S 149.967°E / -36.733; 149.967
Statistics
Burned area1,250 hectares (3,100 acres)[1][2]
Land use
  • Urban
  • Residential
  • Farmland
  • Forest reserves
Impacts
Ignition
CauseElectrical infrastructure failure (likely)[4][5]
Map
2018 Tathra bushfire is located in New South Wales
2018 Tathra bushfire
Location of the bushfire in New South Wales

The 2018 Tathra bushfire was a bushfire that burned between 18 and 19 March 2018 and primarily affected parts of the South Coast region in the Australian state of New South Wales. The fire, understood to have been caused by a failure in electrical infrastructure,[4][5] began in the locality of Reedy Swamp, near Tarraganda, which spread east towards Tathra in the municipality of the Bega Valley Shire.[6]

The fire burned through over 1,250 hectares (3,100 acres) of farmland and forest reserves, before impacting the village of Tathra.[1][2] The fire burned into the town and resulted in an urban conflagration that destroyed over 100 structures.[3][7][8]

  1. ^ a b Smyth, Ben (18 March 2018). "Tathra evacuated as out of control bushfire destroys property". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Gleeson, Ashleigh; Bickers, Claire; Hansen, Nick; Harris, Christopher (20 March 2018). "Tathra bushfire: Residents demand to know where warning was as up to 70 homes destroyed". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Initial assessment of fire affected area - Tathra" (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Tathra fire investigation" (PDF) (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 22 March 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b Knaus, Christopher (22 March 2018). "Tathra bushfire: NSW Rural Fire Service says power lines likely cause". Guardian Australia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. ^ "EMERGENCY WARNING - Reedy Swamp fire (Bega LGA) - Fire impacting on homes on edges of Tathra. Seek shelter as the fire arrives to protect yourself from the heat of the fire". New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Twitter.com. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  7. ^ "'Stay away': 69 houses lost in 'perfect storm' fire still burning in NSW town". ABC News. Australia. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Seventy homes and buildings destroyed in Tathra fire". ABC News. Australia. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.