Dramatic footage shows a terrifying fire tornado swirling into a huge tunnel of thick smoke and raging flames on Kangaroo Island.
A local resident captured the incredible event on camera, standing nearby in his 4WD and watching as emergency services battled a “virtually unstoppable” bushfire raging on the island off the South Australian mainland.
“Here’s another fire whirlwind this afternoon on Kangaroo Island. We’ve had quite a few of them today and it wasn’t even a hot day,” the man wrote in his Facebook post on Thursday.
The fire near the Ravine Des Casoars nature reserve was extinguished on Friday and declared an immediate threat to lives and homes in the area.
By the afternoon, the fire had ravaged 14,000 hectares of land, spread into Flinders Chase National Park and continued to resist the efforts of around 150 firefighters to bring it under control.
Locals and tourists were asked to leave the area; a luxury resort was also evacuated except for the emergency staff.
The spread cannot be stopped
The Country Fire Service said the fire was now raging in all directions through Flinders Chase National Park and conditions were constantly changing.
Country Fire Service chief Mark Jones said it was disappointing that some residents had ignored warnings and decided to stay.
Now it may be too late and they should seek shelter, he said.
Mr Jones said there were no confirmed reports of property damage or injuries so far, but he would be “amazed” if no homes had been destroyed.
A wind shift forecast for Friday is expected to push the fire east and north, creating a danger zone across the entire western part of the island.
“The resources on site are having a positive impact,” said Mr Jones.
“But the conditions and severity of the fire mean it is now virtually unstoppable.
“Visibility is extremely poor. Even for our bombers it is difficult to see the line of fire where they want to drop the bombs.”
Mr Jones said another fire at Duncan on Kangaroo Island had also breached containment lines but had now been brought under better control.
The danger on the island increased after South Africa suffered a day of severe to extreme fire conditions, with very high temperatures and rising winds across the state.
An emergency relief centre has been set up in Kingscote on the east coast of the island.
In addition, CFS teams continue to monitor a number of existing fires on the South African mainland, including the Adelaide Hills fire, which has burned over 25,000 hectares.
The eruption broke out two weeks ago under catastrophic conditions and destroyed over 80 houses, but is now considered contained.
With AAP
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