He added that 16 people were in hospital, with five in either a critical or serious condition with significant burns. We still have areas within the fire ground that are still burning.
Advertisement
Fire crews are working through the night battling the blaze, which is burning out of control.
The two dead have been confirmed as a 56-year-old woman from Hamley Bridge and Allan Tiller, 69, from Pinery.
South Australia state Premier Jay Weatherill said today (Nov 25) two bodies have been recovered and a report remains unconfirmed of a third person killed when a auto hit a tree in the razed rural area.
The blaze north of Mallala in the states mid north on Wednesday.
The blaze continues to burn around a series of towns including Owen, Hamley Bridge, Tarlee, Freeling, Wasleys, Kapunda and Greenock but the threat has been reduced to a watch and act alert.
That blaze, sparked by lightning around Esperance, 750 kilometres (450 miles) southeast of Perth, was finally brought under control late Wednesday after tearing through nearly 130,000 hectares of bushland and farmland.
More than 200 firefighters are on the ground with the support of four water bombing aircraft and two observation planes. Weather conditions are also expected to be more favourable with lower temperatures and moderating winds. One of the critically injured patients has 80 percent burns and two of them are firefighters.
Damage reports suggest more than 85,000 hectares of farmland and bush have been burned by the fires, Weatherill said, with a significant amount of livestock lost, including more than 2,000 pigs.
The blaze has claimed several homes and properties.
The clock melted into itself at eighteen minutes past three as a bushfire raging north of Adelaide destroyed one town’s only sports club. Freeling farmer Tom Shanahan said he arrived at his friend’s house and found him inside with the air conditioning on as the deadly blaze approached. “We are not expecting the best outcome from this fire”, CFS deputy chief officer Brenton Eden told ABC radio.
Advertisement
“It’s quietened right down”. “We are hopeful we will have the fire contained some time tomorrow”.
