Dozens of homes at risk as bushfire burns out of control in Australia

Dozens of homes are feared lost to an intense bushfire raging out of control in South Australia Saturday, with firefighters struggling to contain the worst blaze in decades fanned by strong winds. The blaze at Sampson Flat was spreading in all directions, sweeping rapidly from a 154 hectare area on Friday afternoon to one covering 4,741 hectares with a perimeter of 38 kilometres. The fire is spreading unpredictably due to wind gusts, forcing firefighters to abandon hopes of stopping the blaze until the weather abates.

We won’t know until the roads are opened and we can drive back and come around the corner. If you see the house there, you jump for joy. If you don’t, well you don’t jump for joy.

Graeme Zucker who left Kersbrook near the blaze and was waiting anxiously to find out whether his home still standing

Residents of 19 towns in the Adelaide Hills, an area with a population of about 40,000 dotted with scenic villages and known for its farming produce and wineries, have been urged to leave amid the worst blaze the area has seen in decades. So far five homes have been destroyed in the blaze and reports have suggested that dozens more could be lost but authorities said this could not be confirmed until they were able to visit the fireground. Eight firefighters have also been hurt fighting the flames but are thought to have only minor injuries.

Right at this moment, residents in the Adelaide Hills are being confronted by a fire which hasn’t been seen in the hills since the 1983 bushfires of Ash Wednesday.

South Australia’s Country Fire Service chief Greg Nettleton

Asia-Pacific Australia fire