‘It’s all gone’: Harrowing footage captures out of control bushfire tearing through homes Fire south of Adelaide

An out of control bushfire continues to threaten communities south of Adelaide, ripping through 640 hectares of land and burning down two homes. The Tooperang fire is burning through scrub and inaccessible terrain between Nangkita Road and Cleland Gully Road, an alert by CFS said on Monday afternoon. The ABC reports two homes are among three structures destroyed by the blaze – the other being a motorhome which burned down on Sunday. Natasha Price told the ABC her partner and three children were at the beach when they received alerts to evacuate. She initially thought her Nangkita home was not affected, however when she arrived home, she found it completely burnt. Ms Price captured the extent of the damage, posting a harrowing video to Facebook of her home lost with the caption, “it’s all gone”. She said she asked a police officers to go home and grab a few things and knew the family couldn’t stay the night. “We thought it would still be there. We couldn’t see much because it was dark. Not much to see now though,” she said. “It’s all gone”. “It looks like a war zone”. Vineyards, farmland and vegetation have also been “impacted” according to authorities, with likely livestock losses. The Tooperang fire broke out at about 4.30pm on Sunday, and was burning off several points from Nangkita Road. A spokesman from the Country Fire Service (CFS) says it is “unconfirmed” how the fire started, however there were 10 ignition points. The fire is also being treated as non-suspicious, the CFS says. Reports have emerged the fire may have started by an “accidental ignition” from a vehicle, yet a CFS spokesman said an investigation will need to commence to determine how the blaze started. CFS escalated the fire warning on Monday morning to a watch and act level, urging residents to “prepare to leave”. The warning area has hit Nankita Rd, Cleland Gully Rd, Stones Ford Rd, Heifer Rd and Through Rd near Tooperang and Nangkita, 10km east of Mount Compass in the Felurieu Peninsula. “Take action now as this bushfire may threaten your safety. Check that the path is clear and go to a safer place,” the alert said. “Do not enter this area as conditions are dangerous”. Authorities say the scrub fire is burning in a south-south-westerly direction from Nankita Road towards Cleland Gully Road and Through Road near Tooperang and Nangkita, 10 kilometres east of Mount Compass. The fire is currently burning in grass and scrub and remains uncontrolled, with conditions continually changing according to the CFS. “Crews are working to protect assets and slow the spread, with a focus on Waterfall Drive, Cleland Gully Road and Nangkita Road, and on preventing further spread into dense scrub,” CFS said. ‘Fire over 640 hectares,’ CFS reveals extent of bushfire The blaze has ravaged through 640 hectares and has “impacted” structures and farm sheds in the area between Nangkita Road and Cleland Gully Road. Around 120 water bombers have been dropped, totalling approximately 300,000 litres to date and CFS have deployed 25 fire trucks with more than 120 volunteer firefighters. CFS say several aircraft, including firebombers and observational aircraft, alongside firefighters are “working hard” through “inaccessible terrain,” including scrub and plantation to continue to extinguish the fire on Monday. They say firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire ahead of a wind change forecast for around lunchtime on Monday. The focus efforts will be between Cleland Gully Road and Nangkita Road, which currently have road closures in place. South Australian Police and South Australian Ambulance Service are also present, supporting the services to reduce the spread of the fire and limit the impact to the local community.