The February 2009 Victorian bushfires are a series of bushfires that were ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday 7 February 2009, resulting in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire. The fires have so far killed at least 210 people and injured over 500 more. One hundred people have been admitted to hospitals across Victoria with burns. Twenty are in a critical condition with nine in intensive care. Victoria Police estimate that the number of people still missing may number over 30.

The fires have destroyed at least, 2,029 homes, 3,500 structures in total and damaged thousands more. Many towns north-east of the state capital Melbourne have been badly damaged or almost completely destroyed, including Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen and Flowerdale. Many houses in the towns of Steels Creek, Humevale, Wandong, Callignee, and Koornalla were also burnt, with several fatalities recorded at each location. The fires have left an estimated 7,500 people homeless.

Suspected causes of the fires include lightning, arson, unwanted cigarette butts and sparks from a power tool in combination with an intense heat wave contributing to the extreme fire hazard conditions. More distantly implicated is an Australian drought that has persisted for more than a decade, as well as a domestic 50-year warming trend that has been linked to human-induced global warming.

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