DOZENS of fires fanned by strong winds tested crews and threatened properties across the state on Sunday during the first serious event ahead of the fire danger season.
Nearly 200 firefighters, supported by aerial bombers, tackled a blaze at Worlds End near Burra, in the state’s Mid North, which had threatened properties as it burnt through at 232ha before it was contained.
Another fire, fuelled by wind gusts of up to 89km/h, jumped containment lines and tore through 4ha of a pine plantation in the Mt Crawford Forest until crews brought it under control.
Earlier, dangerous winds meant air bombers, brought in to support 13 Country Fire Service units at Mt Crawford, had to be redeployed to tackle other blazes.
A property owner at Sandy Creek in the Barossa Valley attempted to conduct a controlled burn early on Sunday as strong northeasterly winds fanned the flames.
A CFS spokeswoman said the owner of the property, which did not fall into a total fire ban area, managed to control the blaze before it could threaten nearby homes.
A fire that broke out at 11am also came close to threatening houses at McGilp Rd, One Tree Hill north of Adelaide before 16 CFS trucks and a plane brought the fire under control.
Crews also contained a fire in a paddock on the Sturt Hwy near Roseworthy, which was among a number of grass fires stretching from the Gawler Ranges in the northern Eyre Peninsula to Padthaway in the state’s South East.
Light rain started falling on parts of the state late Sunday afternoon, giving welcome relief to crews on the fire grounds..
Oodnadatta recorded the state’s highest temperature 38.1C while the mercury topped 28.1C at midday in Adelaide before dropping 14 degrees by 6pm as the cool change arrived.
Adelaide is expecting a top of 17C Monday with possible rainfall of up to 6mm.
The weather bureau says the temperature will remain in the mid- to low-20s for the remainder of the week.
The Bureau of Meteorology earlier re-issued a severe weather warning, predicting winds would reach 90 to 100km/h along much of the coast before a cold snap leading into Monday.
The bureau said severe weather would affect people in the Flinders, Riverland and parts of Lower Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, North West Pastoral and North East Pastoral districts.
The strong and fast-moving front was located near a line Peterborough to Waikerie at 5pm and will move through the northeast of the state to be near a line Oodnadatta to Broken Hill late evening.
A vigorous west to southwesterly airstream with gusty showers and possible thundertsorms will develop about southern and western coasts this evening.
Damaging northwesterly winds averaging 50 to 65 km/h with gusts around 90 km/h are possible near and ahead of the front until early evening.
Winds will turn squally southwesterly with the front and may reach 65 km/h with gusts around 90 km/h for an hour or two following.
Localised damaging winds gusts of 90 to 120 km/h are possible with showers or thunderstorms over the southern warning area from this evening.
Locations which may be affected in the north and east include Renmark, Coober Pedy, Roxby Downs, Leigh Creek and Woomera.
Locations which may be affected in the south include Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay.
Wind gusts of around 90 km/h were observed at Strathalbyn and Mount Crawford ahead of the cold front.
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