“Work is going on to restore power supplies but remains slow because of difficulty reaching affected areas”, South Australia’s premier, Jay Weatherill, said.
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At least two firefighters were among the 13 people hospitalised on Wednesday by the fast-moving blaze that had scorched 85,000 hectares (210,000 acres) of farm and woodland and threatened several towns near Adelaide, the state’s capital and largest city, Weatherill said.
The Country Fire Service said the blaze continued to burn on a 40km front, with a perimetre of about 211km.
Among the injured, five are in a serious or critical condition and one person has burns to 80 per cent of their body. South Australia Health later tweeted that they had taken 15 people to hospital for burns, smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Their condition is being closely monitored.
Mr Weatherill said today’s events are a chilling reminder of the importance of being prepared for serious bushfires. Crews would now concentrate on the northeast corner of the fire which was proving most hard to bring under control.
About 16 homes were consumed by the fire and this number did not include the outbuildings, machinery and vehicles that may have been destroyed along with the homes.
Livestock was also lost with reports that thousands of chickens and pigs were killed.
He told the BBC that he was surprised by how quickly he ended up in a risky situation.
The fire is moving fast and may affect other roads in the area, police say.
Brendan Moten described how the sky darkened with ash as he fled his rural property and sought safety in the town of Kapunda as the fire raged around him and his family. “You just couldn’t put it out”, farmer John Lush told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology declared October the hottest month on record. Aside from the piggery, the bushfire also destroyed nearby properties and homes.
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The fire comes after four people were killed in one of a series of wildfires sparked by lightning in Western Australia state last week.
