The shell of a house in Greenwith, in Adelaide’s outer suburbs, on Monday. Photograph: David Mariuz/AAP
More than two dozen homes have been destroyed as South Australia’s worst bushfires since the 1983 Ash Wednesday blaze continue to rage in the Adelaide Hills, with dangerous weather conditions forecast for the next two days.
The weekend’s firestorm eased slightly on Monday, but the South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, said 11 live fires were still burning and sudden flare-ups and falling trees presented a “very clear danger”.
“We know we are in a dangerous phase when people are getting fatigued, people have a false sense of security because it appears the worst is over,” he said. “We’ve got a bit of a way to go until we can relax.”
He said 26 homes and 41 outbuildings had been destroyed in the past four days, but that number was expected to climb as authorities accessed burnt-out areas.
Fire has burnt through more than 12,500 hectares of the state since Friday, the most serious blaze in the Sampson Flat area, in the Mount Lofty Ranges about 38km north-west of Adelaide. More than 1100 properties lie in the fire-affected areas.
More than 700 firefighters, aided by 10 water-bombing aircraft, have battled the flames, with reinforcements from New South Wales and Victoria due to arrive within the next 24 hours.
Strong winds forecast for Monday evening are causing concern, while firefighters work to strengthen containment lines ahead of temperatures in the high 30s forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.
A total of 29 people had been hospitalised, including one suffering a serious asthma attack. Dozen of animals also perished in the inferno, which tore through a boarding kennel and cattery at the weekend and continues to threaten wildlife sanctuaries in the Adelaide Hills.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but the South Australian police commissioner, Gary Burns, said an incinerator on a Sampson Flat property was the likely source.
Despite temperatures soaring to 44 degrees in Western Australia, a watch and act alert for residents in Roleystone, in Perth’s south-west, was downgraded to an advice after fire crews managed to bring a blaze under control.
“There is no threat to lives or homes, but there is a lot of smoke in the area,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. “Although there is no immediate danger, [people] need to be aware and keep up to date in case the situation changes.”
Erratic weather conditions meant the situation could again become critical, but authorities said they were closely monitoring the flames, which had burnt through 4,000 hectares since Sunday afternoon.
Fires in Victoria’s west continue to subside after a cool change on Sunday evening brought welcome rain. Emergency warnings for a fire that ignited on Sunday afternoon at Hastings, south-east of Melbourne, have also been downgraded.
More than 300 fires started in Victoria over the weekend, claiming one house and destroying more than 5,000 hectares.
source: theguardian.com
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