Australia: Port Lincoln residents flee as bushfire nears

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Australia: Port Lincoln residents flee as bushfire nears

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23 December,2009 07:14 pm

Residents of the South Australian town of Port Lincoln were urged to evacuate in the face of what authorities described as an extremely dangerous bushfire.The fire erupted into a full-blown emergency in the early afternoon on Wednesday about three kilometres outside the town limits.Strong winds and temperatures over 40 degrees celsius fanned large flames and heavy smoke towards the town.The massive smoke plumes hampered water-bombing aircraft in their efforts to battle the fire front.Roads became congested with evacuating residents and sightseers. Over 500 hectares of land were raised and reportedly six houses lost.Fire services in the area reported the fire was under control later in the afternoon.About 600 kilometres south east, another fire burned near the town of Kingston. Fire services said they were confident they would get the upper hand on the blaze, as cooler temperatures were forecasted for the evening.The days conditions mirrored those of February's Black Saturday fires in the neighbouring state of Victoria, in which 173 people died.