copied and pasted directly from my yahoo7 news page (sorry about the inconsistentspacing)
Victoria and South Australia are
facing the worst bushfires since 1983 Ash Wednesday, authorities say,
with residents warned their lives and homes are at risk. A
blaze at Sampson Flat continues to burn out of control on all flanks,
the South Australia Country Fire Service said and the Adelaide Hills
area is facing “an incredibly dangerous fire".
An emergency vehicle driving past the head of the flames at the Moyston fire.“Your life is at risk and we are asking you to implement your bushfire survival plan," a spokesman said.
Residents of 19 towns in the Adelaide Hills are being urged to leave immediately.
The CFA has warned anyone in areas affected by the Sampson Flat fire to leave now.
The areas include: Mount Pleasant, Kersbrook, Gumeracha, Mount Torrens, Woodside, Lobethal, Inglewood, Upper Hermitage, Breakneck Hill, One Tree Hill township, Little Para Reservoir, Chain of Ponds, Houghton, Cudlee Creek, Lower Hermitage, Charleston, Birdwood, Lenswood, and Williamstown.
Five homes have been destroyed in South Australia and one in Moyston, Victoria.
It's not yet known how many homes have been destroyed in the Sampson Flat blaze as it's not safe to get into the Upper Hermitage area that's affected, said Brenton Eden of the CFS.
"But it will be more than five" - the number of properties already reported lost on Friday, he said.
Two of the lost homes belong to firefighters who have been battling the out-of-control bushfire while another belongs to a police officer also helping in the emergency.
Meanwhile, Mr Eden urged residents in a host of places to find safety now, ahead of an expected deterioration in conditions.
"Winds at the moment are quite benign, so now is the time when people should be packing up their valuables, taking care of their stock and getting out of there.
"Please, heed this warning.
"We do not want to be reporting that we have lost any lives."
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I managed to lose some of the words too. Still, you get the gist.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking. And sadly an annual event now.
ReplyDeleteI am interstate and quite safe (total coincidence), but once our home was under threat, Pilchard has left and is now safe. Who knows what will happen (don't know how close the fire actually is), but at least we're alive. Happy New Year (and for once I'm not being sarcastic).
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; an annual event for many years already. Some of the problem has to be new arrivals who just don't realise what a tinderbox they've come to.
ReplyDeleteRed Nomad OZ; the at risk areas are listed above, so if your home is anywhere near....well, best to stay away until the fires are out. I'm guessing, but I think your home is further south and closer to Adelaide.
Happy New Year to you too.
I have been following these fires on ABC24 throughout the day and feeling saddened by the plight of so many people affected by them. Knowing my folks lost everything they owned when their farmhouse burned down (before I was born) I know how hard it is for people to lose everything. My only hope is that nobody dies a a result of these horrible events. They were likening it to 1983 when Ash Wednesday (?) occurred. Let's just hope there is an unexpected change in the weather soon. We are in for some high temps all of next week so we too will be worrying what could happen when everything is so dry. I think most of southern Australia is like a tinderbox right now, including Tasmania.
ReplyDeleteThey were showing footage on our news last night.....Hoping desperately for rain for you.
ReplyDeleteCrazy, crazy weather all over the globe. I hope all come through your fire season as well as they can.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking and oh, so, frightening what's happening in South Australia and Victoria at the moment.
ReplyDeleteMimsie; I haven't heard any of the news today, but the Sunday Mail has 19 pages devoted to stories and pictures, not only of the Sampson Flat fire but the Tantanoola one and the Victorian fire at Moyston just over the border a bit and there's mention of one down in south-east Victoria too where another blog friend lives. Word is now that this is worse than Ash Wednesday was, but so far no human lives have been lost. At a boarding kennels all cats and about half the dogs didn't survive. :( :(
ReplyDeleteDelores; No sign of rain yet, temperatures are far too warm for rain. We saw footage here too of road pile-ups caused by your snowy conditions, one with a truck and 35 cars all in a heap!
Joanne; our fire season is so terribly long and our state so very dry and the winds are still gusting. Other states have fires too right now.
Lee; I used to dream of living in the country, now I think I'll stay forever in the city where I'm a little more protected by all the concrete. You're right it is heartbreaking, I haven't turned on the TV yet today, 19 pages of the newspaper was enough for now. I'll check the updates later.
Not as bad as the terrible fires in 1983 but serious all the same. I don't suppose you were in Adelaide then. I was distressed to learn this morning that a pet kennel place was destroyed by a bushfire here yesterday, with many of the pets being killed.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; living in Sydney in 1983, with no family in Adelaide, so didn't pay too much attention to the Ash Wednesday fire.
ReplyDeleteThe boarding kennel here made me cry all over again, so many pets lost and the owners now face the unenviabe task of notifying holidaying pet owners to tell them their furry friends have died. All the cats and most of the dogs.