The 2009 Black Saturday fire, which wiped out entire towns and killed 173 in the Australian state of Victoria, caused the country to change its approach to wildfires. A new higher rating of “Catastrophic/Code Red” was introduced above “Extreme”, indicating that some fires simply cannot be withstood. At present, there is a 5% likelihood of such fires. In Australia, fire seasons are typically defined by the length of dry weather between June 1 and September 30. Architects are responding with innovations including steel shutters, low-carbon, fibre-reinforced cement composite board, and houses covered with soil to insulate against fire heat.
The 2009 Black Saturday fire, which wiped out entire towns and killed 173 in the Australian state of Victoria, caused the country to change its approach to wildfires. A new higher rating of “Catastrophic/Code Red” was introduced above “Extreme”, indicating that some fires simply cannot be withstood. At present, there is a 5% likelihood of such fires. This is expected to increase to 15% by 2050 and 30% by 2100. Architects are responding with innovations including steel shutters, low-carbon, fibre-reinforced cement composite board, and houses covered with soil to insulate against fire heat.