Dont know if this is anywhere near any campin areas.. dont know SA that
well
Fire still raging out of control
January 10, 2007 07:51am
ABOUT 400 firefighters are still battling a bushfire in the
Adelaide Hills that is believed to have been deliberately lit last night, threatening at least 60 homes and destroying stock and
farm machinery.
The Country Fire Service says the fire is travelling north-easterly towards Tilling
Hill on the eastern side of the Mount Bold Reservoir. Residents should take shelter in their homes or in a solid structure immediately and close all doors and windows until the fire front has passed.
Two community meetings will be held today to give residents a chance to ask the CFS questions. One is at Echunga Town Hall at 10am, the other will be at Kangarilla. The time and place has yet to be decided.
Police still have not confirmed if the fire was deliberately lit. Forensic experts are now examining the scene but Senior Constable Colin Haigh said the focus was on containing the fire.
"At this stage nothing can be confirmed. The main emphasis at the moment is controlling the fire," he said.
But last night police sources said the manner in which the fire started – by the side of a road – suggested the
Adelaide Hills firebug could be responsible.
Firefighters worked desperately through the night to protect property with unconfirmed reports two homes had been destroyed. A backburn was undertaken along an area known as Track 31 in a bid to develop a control line.
By midnight, the CFS said eight sheds, several vehicles, stock and fencing had been destroyed in the blaze, which burned more than 1700ha in the Kangarilla and Echunga area. Late last night, Kangarilla residents were evacuated to a sports field as the fire approached the town.
The CFS was forced to retreat at about 2am as it was too dangerous on the edge of
Kuitpo Forest near Pocock Rd.
There are up to six homes a few hundred metres off main fire front.
Alex Smith, a resident at Pocock Rd, has been renting the property for two weeks.
“We are on a need to know basis. And all I need to know is when to bleep off,” he said.
“There was ash pouring over the
hill and we could barely see a thing come 8 o’clock. That was when I got rid of the kids. Just my dad and I stayed around to look after the place.”
The fire flared in scrub next to Mount Bold Rd just after 6.30pm. It spread quickly into
Kuitpo Forest and threatened homes on Dashwood Gully, Saddlebags, Razorback and Boot
Hill roads. At least one shed was destroyed on Boot
Hill Rd.
A southerly change about 9.30pm pushed the fire towards Echunga.
Smoke from the fire blanketed the Mt Lofty Ranges and spread through
Murray Bridge and
Adelaide. Initial investigations indicated the fire started in grass on a roadside – a characteristic of the arsonist who has lit up to 19 fires since the start of December.
Last night Superintendent Tom Rieniets said It was not known if an incendiary device was found, like one used by the firebug in past fires.
The devices have been ignited by a timer system, enabling the arsonist to flee the area.
“From the starting point, it’s gone right through and into Kuitpo,” he said. “It is burning in such a way that fires on a hot day do, not fires in the night.”
Fire crews were trying to backburn in the forest last night and believed the northern flank was the most dangerous area. “The difficulty we’ve got is that it’s also going the other way towards Mt Bold Reservoir,” Supt Rieniets said. “There’s a threat of contamination of water with embers and such things.”
CFS chief officer Euan Ferguson said fire conditions were horrendous.
“This was a very difficult fire burning in extreme conditions. It’s incredible that we haven’t had more significant losses of houses,” he said. About 500 homes were left without power and many property owners could not use pumps to fight the flames. Steven Thorpe, 32, lost his
hay shed but his house was spared.
Most of his 30ha property was burnt. “There’s not a blade of grass left on the place,” he said.
“It was only a matter of minutes before we saw it had wrapped around the place. We definitely thought the place was gone for a while there.”
Acting Premier Kevin Foley will visit the fire scene today after returning from Black Tuesday bushfire commemorations on Eyre Peninsula.
Photos here
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