By Ivana Mowry-Mora
Bushfire.io was born out of necessity during Australia’s devastating 2019–2020 Black Summer. The founder of Bushfire.io narrowly escaped a massive fire on the south coast, witnessing firsthand how lack of information hampered evacuations and firefighting efforts. Motivated by the knowledge that better situational awareness saves lives, Bushfire.io was built to bring together critical, real-time data that helps communities make informed decisions.
A bushfire is an unplanned vegetation fire. It is a generic term that includes grass fires, forest fires and scrub fires. Bushfires are a natural, essential and complex part of the Australian environment and have been for thousands of years. Bushfires can significantly impact on lives, property and the environment. Bushfires can be started by natural causes, such as lightning strikes, or by people (accidentally or on purpose). Weather conditions and fuel conditions play a part in bushfires happening. Hot, dry and windy weather can contribute to fire danger.
At any time of the year, some parts of Australia are prone to bushfires. For northern Australia the peak bushfire period is during the dry season, which is generally throughout winter and spring. In southern Australia, the bushfire season peaks in summer and autumn. While these are traditional peaks of the bushfire season, local conditions can drive dangerous bushfire activity at any time.
Bushfires can cause serious property and infrastructure damage and lead to loss of life. The fire itself is only one element of the danger. Fire embers can spread many kilometers from the location of a large bushfire, causing smaller spot fires to break out. Radiant heat can be felt more than 100m away from a large bushfire and has the potential to melt or fracture objects including parts of cars, glass windows, etc.
Toxic fumes and heavy smoke produced from bushfires can impair vision and impact on air quality and create difficulties in breathing. Due to the unpredictable nature of fast-moving fires, people are likely to be encouraged to evacuate from their homes as quickly as possible to ensure they are able to reach safety. It is important to follow any local alerts and warnings.
This live map combines multiple data sources, from lightning strikes and satellite hotspots to wind forecasts and road closures, into one intuitive platform. Key features include:
- Cohesive Disaster Intelligence: Keep track of fires, floods, storms, hail, and damaging winds—all in one place, complete with detailed incident info where available.
- Flight Radar Integration: Track emergency response aircraft, powered by Flightradar24.
- Wind Forecast Overlays: Compare NOAA or BOM’s ADFD wind forecasts (the latter for Pro users).
- Satellite Hotspots: Drawn from Geoscience Australia and NASA (Himawari, NOAA, Terra, Aqua, etc.).
- Live Weather Observations: Stay informed about rapidly changing conditions.
- Targeted Road Closures: Identify hazards without clutter from everyday roadworks.
As an independent organisation not affiliated with any government agency, Bushfire.io has the freedom to innovate and deliver cutting-edge solutions swiftly, focused entirely on user needs, rather than bureaucratic constraints. Their unique technology extends beyond bushfires to a range of global disasters, helping communities respond more effectively to an ever-changing environment. Bushfire.io provides disaster intelligence across a growing number of countries and regions.
. It transforms massive data into clear visuals, showing fire perimeters, critical infrastructure, hazards, and resource locations on interactive maps, crucial for both wildland and structural fires.