Wild moment ‘fire devil’ appears as state braces for heatwave, bushfires
Residents in several states have been told to brace for more intense temperatures and bushfires after a “fire demon” was spotted amid flames in South Australia.
Despite cold weather gripping parts of the country’s south-east this week, extreme temperatures are gripping parts of Western Australia, SA, Victoria and NSW as the mercury rises.
The severe heatwave warning in Western Australia is affecting areas covering the Gascoyne and Mid-West regions, including Carnarvon and Coral Bay.
The mercury is expected to reach 42°C at Newman, 39°C at Karratha and 37°C between Exmouth and Geraldton.
It will also be hot in Perth, where the temperature is expected to reach 32 degrees on Thursday, while conditions will be slightly cooler in the coastal areas.
As temperatures increase, the fire danger also increases.
Multiple bushfires continue to burn at Deep Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide. The fires affected approximately 3,400 hectares and destroyed at least three structures.
The devastating fires were made worse by extreme heat and high winds that whipped up a “fire devil” in Deep Creek on Wednesday afternoon.
Wild footage captured by firefighters at Morphett Vale Fire Brigade showed a whirlwind of fire and ash hurtling into the sky amid smoke.
A phenomenon known as the ‘fire devil’ was captured by Morphett Vale CFS at the fireground at Deep Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
The SA Country Fire Service said the Deep Creek fire was likely to continue burning erratically as strong winds encouraged flames to change direction and spread further.
“(The community) is reminded to stay away from the current warning area whenever possible,” a statement said.
“Anyone in the affected area will be allowed to leave the closed roads but will not be able to return until the roads reopen.
“Given the unpredictable nature of this fire, the status of road closures may change at short notice.”
Conditions are expected to be 41 degrees at Roxby Downs and 40 degrees at Marree and Coober Pedy, while temperatures are expected to be slightly milder on the coast, with temperatures expected to be 32 degrees in Adelaide and 25 degrees in Mount Gambier.
The sweltering heat will continue as it moves across the border into Victoria and NSW.
“Temperatures will vary quite a bit across the state,” Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines said.
“We will see low 20s in the southern half and high 30s in some parts of the north.”
Temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 37 degrees in Mildura in Victoria’s northwest and Albury-Wodonga on the NSW-Victoria border, while temperatures in central Victoria will reach the mid-30s.
Temperatures in Melbourne are expected to be much cooler than the rest of the state, with cloudy skies and a maximum temperature of 23C.
The situation is different in NSW; Warm and sunny weather is expected across most of the state.
“We will see most of our urban centers in the low 30s and many places in the mid-30s and even higher,” Mr. Hines said.
The sweltering heat will extend from the Victorian border westwards, with temperatures expected to reach 38 degrees in Bourke, Broken Hill and Dubbo.
But residents looking to head to the beach on Thursday may be in for a shock due to the risk of storms ravaging parts of the state in the afternoon.
“The majority of the day will be sunny, but some cloud will develop into the afternoon, creating a low risk of showers or thunderstorms across our southern and western Sydney areas,” Mr Hines said.
“But if it rains a little you’ll be pretty unlucky.”
