Considered in terms of both loss of property and loss of life the 1939 fires were one of the worst disasters , and certainly the worst bushfire event , to have occurred in Australia up to that time . Only the subsequent Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 and the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 have resulted in more deaths . In terms of the total area burnt the Black Friday fires are the second largest , burning 2 million hectares , with the Black Thursday fires of 1851 having burnt an estimated 5 million hectares
Black Saturday bushfires
Black Saturday bushfires
Black Friday bushfires