Fires on the outskirts of Port Lincoln have been contained, but authorities are warning of the ongoing risks posed by burning waste at the city's dump amid reports that multiple homes and businesses have been affected.
Country Fire Service (CFS) duty officer Adrian Parente said while crews continued to battle hotspots on the 143-hectare fireground, the fire at the dump remained the biggest issue.
"Because waste management facilities do have a number of different types of materials in there, we are cognisant that smoke may be hazardous," Mr Parente said.
"If you have respiratory issues like asthma or anything else, then really take care today.
"If you can … stay indoors, keep the windows closed and use air-conditioning with recycled air."
Mr Parente said while CFS crews were working to extinguish the fire at the city dump as soon as possible, it was expected to continue to burn over the coming days.
He urged residents to steer clear of the area.
"It is crucial to make the waste management facility a no-go area," he said.
"Yesterday we had downed powerlines as well, making the fence around the dump electrified.
"Once we get the intensity down we can go in and mop up the hotspots."
Cause determined
CFS Chief Officer Brett Loughlin said a power infrastructure failure was to blame for the bushfire.
"It started within 80 to 100 metres of the first property that was impacted and so it is the truest definition of what we call an impact fire — a fire that starts and rapidly impacts assets."
Mr Loughlin praised the firefighters involved and said he was pleased investigators ascertained the cause.
"This morning our fire cause investigation team have been out and they've worked tirelessly to work out what caused the fire.
"There are dozens of properties now that are still standing today, lives are continuing today thanks to the heroics of the men and women on the front line yesterday."
He said firefighters would be in the area for days to come and were working to prepare ahead of a challenging weather forecast for next week, with temperatures in Port Lincoln expected to reach the high 30s.
Homes and businesses lost
The CFS has estimated that one residential home and 15 industrial structures have been impacted by the fire so far.
Port Lincoln Mayor Diana Mislov said she was meeting with residents who had lost their homes.
"It's a very eerie feeling this morning," she said.
"There's still a thick plume of smoke coming up from our resource recovery centre and a very unpleasant smell is thick in the air."
Port Lincoln City Council chief executive Matt Morgan says the crew from Veolia, which manages the town's waste centre, got the rubbish trucks out before the fire came.
"Kerbside collection will take place as normal, with rubbish taken directly to the landfill site north of Tumby Bay," he said.
No injury reports so far
Mr Parente said the lack of injuries amongst CFS crews was a testament to volunteer professionalism.
"Obviously there'll be a lot of fatigue but no injuries that were reported yesterday," he said.
"We haven't had any injuries confirmed from members of the public either."
David Reid chairman Port Lincoln Racing Club said horses had to be evacuated from the site but there was no major damage to the club.
"We couldn't get all the horses off the course," he said.
"Two of our staff members remained with our firefighting truck and they were prepared to extinguish any embers that may have come onto the course.
"We have no real incident at the club, which is a fantastic outcome."
Mr Reid said a racing meet for the weekend was due to go ahead as planned.
"We've got the McDonald's Peninsula Cup this Sunday — that will go ahead as scheduled," he said.
