Third death reported but unconfirmed, as blaze bears down on Eudunda, Owen, Freeling, Greenock, Kapunda and Nuriootpa

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Two people are confirmed dead with an unconfirmed report of a third fatality as bushfires rage north of Adelaide, the South Australian state premier, Jay Weatherill, said on Wednesday.

Weatherill said a body was found in a paddock near Pinery and another in a car near Hamley Bridge.



“This has been a devastating few hours for large parts of the state and unfortunately there is some time to go until we have the fire fronts under control,” he said. “Our thoughts turn to those people affected and those volunteers working through the night to protect us.”



A bushfire continues to burn on a 45km front, threatening a number of towns. At least one person has been airlifted to hospital and authorities fear there have been other injuries as the blaze bears down on Eudunda, Owen, Freeling, Greenock, Kapunda and Nuriootpa, fanned by strong winds.

And a fast-moving bushfire was threatening lives and homes near a roadhouse in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on Wednesday afternoon.

An emergency warning was issued for people near Nanutarra Roadhouse, along the North West Coastal highway in the shire of Ashburton. The lightning-sparked bushfire was out of control and unpredictable.

Several homes and buildings were destroyed in the South Australian blaze, including a piggery, with damage assessment teams starting to move through the area to confirm losses.

Witnesses calling in to local radio said they had seen homes and other buildings destroyed as the blaze roared past a number of towns including Mallala, Roseworthy and Wasleys.



Mark Mooney (@MarkMooney7) Flames are spreading extremely quickly towards properties just outside of #Mallala. #PineryFire @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/aHTW3rHMIz

The Country Fire Service’s chief officer, Greg Nettleton, said the fire was moving so fast that fire crews could not establish positions at the front of the blaze.



“This is a particularly nasty fire. It will run right through the night and into tomorrow,” Nettleton said. “It’s going to be a long haul for many of our crews.”

By late on Wednesday the fire had burnt through several hundred hectares of mostly cropping land and pastures.



It was being battled by about 200 firefighters along with water-bombing aircraft.



Two large capacity planes had also been called in from NSW.



Wind gusts of about 80km/h buffeted the fire zone ahead of a southwesterly change which swept through the area, pushing the blaze to the northeast.



Many roads were closed with power cut to about 20,000 properties.



South Australia’s premier, Jay Weatherill, said the state government’s emergency management committee would meet on Wednesday night to consider the response to the blaze.



Weather conditions were expected to moderate on Thursday with lower temperatures and winds dropping during the day.



Bureau of Meteorology acting regional director John Nairn said weather conditions on Wednesday would have created very unusual and uncontrollable flare-ups.



“It was very ugly conditions for the firefighters,” he said.

The CFS was also battling another major fire at Lameroo, southeast of Adelaide, with an emergency warning issued for local residents.

The blaze was travelling southeasterly and posed a threat to people and property in the area.

The fires came as hot conditions prevailed across much of South Australia. Adelaide reached 31.7C and temperatures in some regional centres were in the high 30s.

The weather bureau said a cool change was expected to move across the state and temperatures were expected to fall to the low 20s on Thursday.



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The operator of a supermarket in Mallala said locals were evacuating to nearby Two Wells. He believed the hotel was still open but most other businesses were closed or closing.

“I’ve come back to put money in my fireproof safe and then I’m leaving again,” he said.

In Western Australia the farming region north of Esperance devastated by deadly bushfires has been given the all-clear, with authorities saying the danger has passed.

The blaze at Grass Patch, Salmon Gums and surrounding areas was sparked by lightning on 15 November and declared an emergency two days later.

It claimed the lives of Scaddan farmer Kym Curnow, 45, Norwegian national Anna Winther, 29, British man Tom Butcher, 31, and German woman Julia Kohrs-Lichte, 19.

By Wednesday, when the fire was contained and brought under control, it had torn through almost 130,000 hectares of bushland and farmland.

