CANBERRA
Residents in Adelaide’s north, South Australia have been forced to evacuate their homes during Christmas lunch as a grassfire threatened property there.
The fire started in a rail corridor and spread south amid hot, dry and windy conditions in the suburb of Smithfield, according to ABC News.
The Metropolitan Fire Service commander of Northern Operations Stuart Dawes said the fire was intense, burning through more than 10 hectares (24.7 acres) in an hour fanned by strong winds.
“The fire started along the rail corridor, or in the vicinity of that area, and quickly spread through the paddock assisted by the strong winds, and was impacting the structural facilities of the [adjacent] army barracks,” he said.
He said the water-bombers were invaluable in saving surrounding homes and structures.
Fires have also been spotted across the state of Victoria, southeastern Australia, as an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria’s west is traveling in a southeasterly direction.
On Dec. 26, temperatures are forecast to hit the mid-40s in parts of Victoria, with troublesome hot winds that are expected to bring the worst conditions since the 2019 summer.
A total fire ban has been declared across the state, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting temperatures into the 40s, with wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in elevated areas.
The 2019 Australian Black Summer was one of the most intense and catastrophic fire seasons on record in Australia, including a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, was considered a mega fire.
