Finding into death of Murrindindi Fire
Date of death
2009-02-07
Finding date
2012
Cause of death
Murrindindi bushfire caused by failed electrical conductor between poles 5 and 6 on Wilhelmina Falls Road which contacted and electrified a boundary fence
AI-generated summary
The Murrindindi fire of 7 February 2009 resulted in 40 deaths and destroyed multiple towns. The fire originated from a failed electrical conductor on power poles 5-6 at Wilhelmina Falls Road, which had inadequate clearance from an earthed stay wire. During extreme fire weather, the conductor periodically clashed with the stay wire, causing arcing. After fuses were replaced and the line re-energised at 2:45pm, the worsening wind conditions caused further clashing, resulting in the conductor breaking and falling across a boundary fence. The live conductor electrified the metal fence, which then ignited vegetation at multiple contact points. This scenario was validated by multiple expert investigations, chemical analysis showing arcing damage, and witness accounts. The electrical infrastructure at pole 6 was not constructed to required standards, and the hazard of fallen conductors should have been foreseeable and preventable through proper design and maintenance.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Inadequate clearance between 22kV conductor and earthed stay wire at pole 6
- Pole 6 construction not compliant with SP AusNet standards or industry guidelines
- Extreme fire weather conditions with strong winds on 7 February 2009
- Exceptional fuel load in forested area due to protracted drought
- Low humidity and extreme fire danger conditions
- Re-energisation of line at 2:45pm triggering conductor failure
- Lack of insulation on stay wire and conductor at time of fire
- Inadequate inspection procedures that failed to identify construction defects
Coroner's recommendations
- The coroner references the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission's 67 recommendations relating to prevention, response and public health and safety
- Implementation of Royal Commission recommendations to be monitored by the Bushfires Royal Commission Implementation Monitor
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —