Although this fire was by far the worst in loss of life and property in Tasmanian history , the meteorological conditions are common . McArthur 's report on the fire notes that " very similar conditions have occurred on three or four occasions during the past 70 years . " If considered in terms of both loss of property and loss of life , in 1967 this represented one of the worst disasters to have occurred in Australia . It is comparable in scale with the 1939 Black Friday bushfires in Victoria ( where the loss of 72 lives was nevertheless spread over several days ) and the subsequent 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia , which claimed 75 lives and razed over 2,000 homes . The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires north of Melbourne , and elsewhere in Victoria , in which 173 people died , share the same commencement date of 7 February
Black Saturday bushfires
Black Saturday bushfires
1967 Tasmanian fires