That large-scale bushfires release thermal energy is a matter of direct physical observation and fundamental thermodynamic fact, requiring no specific academic citation.
The claim states that the 2019-2020 Australian bush fires released massive amounts of thermal energy. Fire is an exothermic chemical reaction (combustion) that inherently releases thermal energy; therefore, a massive wildfire inherently releases massive amounts of thermal energy. This is a matter of basic everyday observation and fundamental physics (common knowledge). Consequently, no formal citation or paper matching is required, and the verdict is COMMON_KNOWLEDGE.