SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Catastrophic fire conditions as temperature hits 48 degrees
 

December 2019

The Country Fire Service (CFS) battled more than 45 fires across South Australia on Wednesday in catastrophic conditions and record November heat, with reports of at least one home lost on the lower Yorke Peninsula.
The CFS held a watch in Yorketown as a fire was posing a threat to people directly in its path.
Several other fires on Wednesday reached emergency warning levels — including near Angaston in the Barossa Valley and near Port Wakefield — before being downgraded as a result of firefighting efforts.
The SA Department for Education closed 111 schools and kindergartens as a safety measure during catastrophic fire danger conditions on Wednesday.
A team was on the way to Yorke Peninsula to assess losses from the Yorketown fire which, according to an incident controller, has blackened about 4,000 hectares.
Yorke Peninsula Mayor Darren Braund said at least one house had already been lost in the fire, adding he had spoken to the owner of the property.
Temperatures soared across South Australia, with more than a dozen locations recording November temperature records of up to 48 degrees.
Strong winds also led to catastrophic conditions being declared in several regions including the Mid North, Kangaroo Island and the Mount Lofty Ranges.
CFS spokeswoman Ali Martin earlier said resources had been directed to protect properties near Yorketown.
"There are assets under threat, either homes or sheds under threat, so our firebombing and ground resources are working to save those," she said.
More than 6,000 properties across the state remain without power — including almost 600 customers on the Yorke Peninsula.
Paul Roberts from SA Power Networks said it could take considerable time before crews could get back into the area.
"We're going to be looking at an extended outage really, we are not out of the catastrophic conditions yet," he said.
The CFS says it responded to at least 45 fires across South Australia on Wednesday.
CFS acting deputy chief Rob Sandford praised volunteer firefighters for an "amazing" effort.
"We've seen some 45 different fires across the state that the CFS has responded to," he said.

Greek Tribune