At least 35 homes have been destroyed and another 42 “impacted” in a massive bushfire that has killed two people in South Australia, authorities have confirmed.
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“Our preliminary estimate is we’ve probably got 60 per cent of the fire contained”, said Country Fire Service chief officer Greg Nettleton.
‘There will be time for us to reflect on this in due course but we are in the middle of a risky situation, ‘ the premier said.
Heartbroken family members and friends have paid tribute to the two – both of whom lived north of Adelaide, where a large fire has been raging for two days.
Insurers have received more than 400 claims related to the blaze which has burnt through 82,600 hectares of cropping land, grass and scrub.
SA Premier Jay Weatherill says 13 people are in hospital and five of those are either in critical or serious conditions with significant burns.
He said it was important that people in and around the fire zone didn’t become complacent to avoid further deaths or injuries.
Firefighters were edging closer to bringing the fire under control on Friday morning, as cooler conditions offered relief across several states.
“The challenge for us at the moment is the winds, as we have said”.
Rachel Ireland, who lost her house in the fire, told the Adelaide Advertiser Mrs Hughes was “just one of those wonderful people who didn’t deserve what happened to her”.
Bushfires are extremely common in Australia in the summer months, however, some scientists have warned the length and intensity of the fire season many increase as climate change causes temperatures to rise.
“I feel lucky. Our place was under threat for a while…” It was heading our way but it didn’t get there. “You just couldn’t put it out”, farmer John Lush told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Many homes have been destroyed and thousands of farm animals have been charred.
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Four people died in bushfires in Western Australia last week as fast moving blazes, sparked by lightning, hit around Esperance, some 750 kilometres (450 miles) southeast of Perth.
