Australia has a long history of fires that predates white settlement . Most recently in 2009 , Black Saturday claimed 173 lives in the state of Victoria in southern Australia -- many of the victims unable to even get the distance of their own driveways before they succumbed to the intense radiant heat generated by a bushfire . Scientists say that , despite shallow records , bushfire records are getting longer . Firefighters are saying that fires are becoming larger and more aggressive . One scientist says that fires around the world are contributing to global warming .
Australia has a long history of fires that predates white settlement . Scientists say that , despite shallow records , bushfire records are getting longer . Firefighters are saying that fires are becoming larger and more aggressive . One scientist says that fires around the world are contributing to global warming .