South Australian residents have described seeing the flames and smelling the smoke of a bushfire that has scorched hundreds of hectares and destroyed structures as emergency crews fight to control the blaze.
The bushfire burning east of Mount Compass in the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide, broke out about 4.30pm on Sunday.
At least three structures have been affected by the blaze that has burned more than 650 hectares (1,600 acres), with a family of five reportedly losing their home.
More than 120 firefighters, including volunteers, continued to fight the fire at Tooperang, working to limit its impact along with 60 vehicles and water bombers.
“The fire is currently burning in grass and scrub and remains uncontrolled,” an SA Country Fire Service statement said.
Crews were working hard in inaccessible terrain, and “will continue to work throughout the day to extinguish the fire ahead of a wind change forecast for around lunchtime today,” the CFS said.
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A watch and act alert was issued on Monday morning for the areas including Tooperang, Nangkita, Mount Jagged and Mosquito Hill.
“Prepare to leave. Take action now as this bushfire may threaten your safety,” the message said.
Alpaca farmer Chris Williams spent a nervous night after being warned the fire was tracking toward his Mount Compass property.
“It was a worry. We could see the glow and smell the smoke. It wasn’t a good feeling,” he said.
It’s not the first time fire has threatened his alpaca farm in the heart of cattle country, after extensive damage in 2019.
“It came within 75 metres of the house back then. We weren’t taking any chances this time,” Williams said.
“A bushfire is a monster. It has no regard for any property or possessions. It makes its own weather and burns wherever and whatever it wants.
“All you can do is prepare as best you can, but that’s farming.”
Surrounded by an “army of family”, Williams said conditions had eased overnight and hoped the blaze would be contained.
Road closures are in place throughout the area but no injuries have been reported.
A woman said her family’s motorhome on a Nangkita property was destroyed by fire within 20 minutes of receiving an alert to evacuate.
“It was like a war zone,” Natasha Price told ABC Radio.
Local state MP David Basham, who used to have a dairy farm in the area, said he had helped residents move cattle to safety.
“I went with a friend who owns a property directly in the path of the fire,” Basham posted on social media.
Fire danger ratings remain high across most of South Australia this week.
Australia experienced its fourth-warmest year on record in 2025, with average temperatures up 1.23C nationally, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The climate crisis has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and bushfires.
Angus Hines, senior meteorologist at the BoM, said most of Australia could expect a “settled weather pattern” on Tuesday, due to a high pressure system south of Western Australia.
He said the next few days would bring “pretty typical summer fire weather” for South Australia and Victoria, with hot summer days with very little rain forecast.
Some showers were expected north of the Victorian ranges, Hines said. “We expect that to have minimal impact on the ongoing bushfires.”
There were some signs that temperatures and winds could increase heading into the long weekend, he said, which had the makings of a potential spike in fire danger for south-eastern states.
Hotter than average days and nights were expected to continue until April for much of the country, according to the BoM’s latest long-range forecast. Sea surface temperatures would remain warmer than average globally, including around Australia.
