A massive South Australian bushfire that destroyed a home, a dozen caravan park cabins, a caravan, a campervan and several other vehicles, has finally been contained.
More than 2,000 hectares of scrub near Tulka, south of Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula was burnt out, including farming property and crops. About 30 firefighters will stay on the ground to monitor the fire and clean up over the next week.
The blaze brings back terrible memories for the people of the area. Back in early 2005, nine people died in bushfires on the Eyre Peninsula.
Grey nomads and others are being warned to take special care as South Australia endures its busiest start to the fire season for many years.
The Country Fire Service state co-ordinator, Malim Watts, said the fires on Eyre Peninsula should serve as a warning of what could be to come.
“This is one of the busiest starts we have had to the fire season in many years,” Mr Watts said. “It’s a very big wake-up call for a lot of people. Summer has come with a vengeance.”
The highest 24 months of rainfall on record means that a large northern area of the state is causing particular concern. Experts say the combination of increased vegetation in the northern grasslands and hotter conditions may herald one of the state’s worst fire seasons in decades.
Mr Watts told the Australian newspaper that the CFS battled 65 fires in South Australia on Sunday, nine of which were regarded as serious, including Tulka.
This included fires at Mambray Creek and Quorn in the Southern Flinders Ranges, Calca and Yalata on the state’s West Coast and Kallora in the Mid North. A fire at Bramfield on the western Eyre Peninsula destroyed 850ha of grassland.
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