What Influences Bushfire Behaviour?

Bushfire behaviour refers to how a bushfire responds to its surroundings—like the type of vegetation, weather, and land slope.

Understanding how a fire is likely to behave helps us predict its intensity, speed, and direction. This is important for assessing the risk a proposed development might face and for planning appropriate safety measures to protect people and property.

Bushfire behaviour is influenced by three key factors:

• Fuel: Type, moisture, amount, and how it's arranged (e.g. shrubs vs trees).

• Weather: Wind speed and direction, temperature, and humidity.

• Topography: Fires move faster uphill—doubling in speed for every 10° rise in slope.

We use these factors to calculate a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL), which determines the construction requirements needed to reduce bushfire risk.

To learn more about how these factors are used in BAL assessments, see our article: How a BAL Rating is Calculated.