South Australian residents have described seeing flames and smelling the smoke of a bushfire that has scorched hundreds of hectares and destroyed structures as emergency crews fight to control the blaze.
The bushfire, burning east of Mount Compass in the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide, broke out around 4:30 pm on Sunday. At least three structures have been affected by the blaze that has burned more than 650 hectares (1,600 acres), with a family of five reportedly losing their home.
More than 120 firefighters, including volunteers, continued to battle the fire at Tooperang, working to limit its impact along with 60 vehicles and water bombers. “The fire is currently burning in grass and scrub and remains uncontrolled,” an SA Country Fire Service statement said.
Crews were working hard in inaccessible terrain, and “will continue to work throughout the day to extinguish the fire ahead of a wind change forecast for around lunchtime today,” the CFS said. A watch and act alert was issued on Monday morning for the areas including Tooperang, Nangkita, Mount Jagged and Mosquito Hill, with residents told to “prepare to leave” as the bushfire may threaten their safety.
Alpaca farmer Chris Williams spent a nervous night after being warned the fire was tracking toward his Mount Compass property. “It was a worry. We could see the glow and smell the smoke. It wasn’t a good feeling,” he said. This is not the first time fire has threatened his alpaca farm, with extensive damage in 2019.
“A bushfire is a monster. It has no regard for any property or possessions. It makes its own weather and burns wherever and whatever it wants,” Williams said. “All you can do is prepare as best you can, but that’s farming.”
Road closures are in place throughout the area, but no injuries have been reported. The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and bushfires, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Hotter than average days and nights are expected to continue until April for much of the country, with warmer than average sea surface temperatures around Australia.