South Australia faces worst wildfires since 1983

© Dylan Coker

An aerial view of the out-of-control Sampson Flat wildfire near Kersbrook.

Strong winds are expected to fan South Australia's worst bushfire in 30 years with dozens of homes believed destroyed by the massive blaze.

The out-of-control Sampson Flat fire in the Mount Lofty Ranges is feared to have destroyed dozens of homes and burnt out more than 11,000 hectares of scrub and farmland since Friday afternoon and no relief is in sight for Sunday.

Although temperatures are forecast to be lower on Sunday, winds will keep fire crews and residents fighting desperately to save lives and property as South Australia faces the worst fire conditions since the 1983 Ash Wednesday disaster.

© ABC TV/Twitter

Meanwhile, cooler conditions are expected to help firefighters contain blazes in Victoria's northeast. Temperatures are not expected to exceed 30C near Horsham and Moyston on Sunday. Firefighters worked throughout the night to contain fires in Dimboola and Cherrypool as blazes raged in two national parks. Crews have battled in the Moyston and surrounding areas since Friday. They were able to stop the spread of fire in Hastings late on Saturday evening. One home has been confirmed destroyed, and others damaged by fire. More than 300 volunteer firefighters from New South Wales will now be sent to South Australia and Victoria to assist.

Sad loss of animal life

About 40 dogs and cats have perished after a bushfire destroyed large parts of a boarding kennel and cattery in the Adelaide foothills.

© Dylan Coker

Paracombe and Tea Tree Gully CFS rescue a dog from the Tea Tree Gully Boarding Kennel and Cattery, where 40 animals perished.

Fire ripped through the Tea Tree Gully Boarding Kennels and Cattery on Saturday morning, burning down the cattery and a large section of the kennels. All of the cats and about a third of the dogs at the kennels were killed.

Extreme conditions hit South Australia

The Country Fire Service warned anyone in areas affected by the Samson Flat fire to leave their homes.

A total of 19 areas across the Adelaide Hills region were included in the warnings, including: 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.

© Tom Huntley

Local volunteer firefighters put out a fire near property at risk on Stone Quarry Road, Kersbrook South Australia.

So far, a confirmed five homes have been lost however the State Emergency Service warns it's likely dozens of properties have been destroyed. One person who was believed to have been missing after seeking refuge in a dam near Mt Gawler Forest was found safe earlier today. That rare piece of good news came as more than 500 firefighters fought the blaze in extreme conditions, with high temperatures and strong winds proving trying. The largest fire in the Adelaide Hills has ripped through an estimated 10,000 hectaresof land and is likely to move northeast, but all of its edges remain active and there are unpredictable wind gusts.

© Tori Arbon

Huge plume of smoke from a major bushfire in Hillier, South Australia.

At least seven firefighters have been injured fighting the Sampson Flat fire in the Mount Lofty Ranges, as conditions worsen. The CFS advises that fires burning under today's conditions are likely to be fast-moving and uncontrollable. Winds of 100 to 120 kilometres per hour were seen in some parts of the state today. "Because of that, there's not a huge amount of direct fire-fighting activity being undertaken at the moment," CFS assistant chief officer Rob Sandford said.

Ferocious and unpredictable blaze

The fire - which started on Friday afternoon at Sampson Flat - wreaked havoc as it spread towards Kersbrook before swinging back towards One Tree Hill, Greenwith and Golden Grove. Co-ordinator Brenton Eden said the fire continued to present challenges as the day unfolded, with winds shifting and more hot temperatures expected. "Conditions will worsen, they will not get better,'' he said.

A wind change from an easterly to northerly direction has caused the fire to burn in numerous directions, causing smoke to blanket large parts of metropolitan Adelaide. The CFS said the Sampson Flat fire was "travelling in a very erratic manner".

Weather change eases Victoria fires

A weather change has brought welcome rain but also new problems for firefighters battling blazes in Victoria. More than a dozen fires burnt across the state on Saturday with separate major warnings issued for areas around Moyston, Dimboola, Edenhope and Cherrypool in the west, while a threatening blaze ignited southeast of Melbourne in Hastings late in the day.

The storm band, which crossed the state from west to east, damped down the major Moyston fire on Saturday afternoon after it had burned mostly out of control since midday Friday. The fire, which has razed almost 5000 hectares in Victoria's west, was burning within containment lines early Saturday evening and authorities have downgraded a warning to say the immediate threat to homes has subsided. "The good news is the front has brought some moisture with it, particularly over the western parts of the state where we had that serious fire at Moyston," State Control Centre spokesman Gerard Scholten said.

"The rain has brought some relief. However, the bad news is the wind change has caused some serious problems down at Hastings and Crib Point."

© David Caird

Local farmer Phillip Grellet surveys the burnt-out land while helping a fellow farmer as a fire still burns in the background.

The Hastings fire, a grass fire which started just after 2pm Saturday, was burning in a southerly direction down the coastline before the front reached the Melbourne area. The fire turned easterly after the wind change, burning in the direction of suburban homes. The popular holiday spot was evacuated, triggering traffic chaos, though the fire was contained before it could cause major damage.

Lightning strikes from the storm front also triggered a batch of new fires in the state's west late on Saturday, and there are "watch and act" recommendations for towns including Dimboola and Edenhope. One home, four sheds and an unknown amount of livestock were lost in the Moyston fire, which also posed a threat to the nearby township of Maroona before it was contained.