Emergency services working to contain KI bushfire before weather heats up on Monday
Firefighters are racing to control the Kangaroo Island bushfire ahead of another hot day – as new figures reveal more than 32,000 sheep perished in the blazes. SEE HEARTBREAKING BEFORE + AFTER PICTURES
SA News
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Emergency services are working around the clock to contain the Kangaroo Island bushfire before temperatures heat up again in coming days.
The blaze remains uncontrolled, with the most recent data showing 216,000ha has been burnt.
As of Sunday, more than 32,000 sheep losses had been reported to Primary Industries and Regions SA, along with 517 cattle, 65 alpacas and five horses.
The livestock toll could still rise as animal heath officers continue to inspect and assess injured animas and more than 200 fire-damaged properties.
The island’s koala population also has been hard hit by the fires, while more than 800 bee hives and 115 nucleus hives have been destroyed.
KI’s temperature is expected to reach 30C on Monday before remaining in the mid-to-high 20s into the week.
Kangaroo Island CFS incident controller Ian Tanner said authorities took advantage of the milder conditions over the weekend ahead of the warmer weather.
Pictures by Ross Evans, Natural Resources Kangaroo Island
“With the improved weather conditions, CFS, support agencies and farm fire units will use multiple strategies to continue to build control lines, including backburning, fire suppression and mineral-earth breaks (where land is cleared of all vegetation),” Mr Tanner said.
“The aim is to make the fire edge as secure as possible before the coming weather.”
He said the fire edge was about 150km in length and it was an “enormous task to strengthen existing control lines in this terrain (because) you cannot put a grader in a straight line along the creek beds and fence lines around properties”.
About 420 personnel, including 388 firefighters as well as Australian Defence Force members and police, remain on the ground battling the fire and putting in place preventive measures. Water bombers have spent 560 hours in the air, making 960 drops since the blaze started.
Pictures by Ross Evans, Natural Resources Kangaroo Island
SA Police said its Multidisciplinary Rapid Damage Assessment Team (MRDAT) had been on the island since noon on Friday to assess the extent of the overall damage.
While unable to determine the number of homes lost in the fire because of access issues, police confirmed “some areas of concern have not been damaged as much as originally believed”.
The MRDAT is expected to provide an overall report on its findings tomorrow.
Defence Force national bushfire co-ordinator Major General Jake Ellwood said easing bushfire conditions had helped the weekend’s recovery efforts.
“It’s enabled us an opportunity to do the support work we needed to do,” he said. “Conditions are expected to worsen again in SA and Victoria on (Tuesday) and we will position ourself to respond to any contingencies that may arise.”
ADF helicopters delivered supplies to the island yesterday.
“Pending conditions are OK in NSW and Victoria, it is our intention to position two Chinook helicopters on Kangaroo Island (Monday) through to Wednesday for the more difficult conditions expected,” Major General Ellwood said.
Thirty engineers from the New Zealand Army have arrived on the island to help with recovery efforts, while an engineering team of about 100 from Papua New Guinea will arrive in Australia in coming days.
CFS chief officer Mark Jones said it would “keep doing our best whatever comes along” and praised the community for heeding warnings.
“No public service can operate effectively without the support of its community,” he said.
“The fact that people have listened to our warnings, moved out of harm’s way and planned for these fires has helped us greatly because we were able to focus on property protection and firefighting instead of search and rescue.” Kangaroo Island’s local recovery co-ordinator Mike Williams said his immediate focus was making sure basic needs were being met.
“The most important step for us is making sure islanders’ immediate needs are covered – from financial assistance, food and housing,” he said.
Premier Steven Marshall said the Government would establish a recovery centre on KI this week. He said it would offer help for insurance, health or local government matters.
