Eyre Peninsula Bushfire 1
Eyre Peninsula Bushfire 1 : In January 2005, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, was the scene of a devastatingbushfire in which nine people were killed and at least 113 injured. It was one of Australia's worst bushfir s since the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. The fire began in farmland north of the town of Wangary and spread to the east. Whilst the cause is unknown, investigations confirmed that it was not arson. It burnt more than 145,000 hectares of farm and scrubland in and around the small townships of Wangary, Wanilla, North Shields, Poonindie, Louth Bay, Greenpatch, and Yallunda Flat near Port Lincoln. Around 93 homes, 50 other buildings and 100 vehicles were destroyed in the fires. An estimated 30,000 livestock, mostly sheep, were killed. The Eyre Peninsula Bushfire of January 2005 were later called the "Black Tuesday" fires, they resulted in much damage to property and even more damage to local's lives. The fire began on 10 January, and were initially contained by emergency services. However, severe weather conditions on 11 January, with wind speeds of 70 km/h and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, then caused the fire to break through containment lines and spread to the east. More than 400 South Australian Country Fire Service fire fighters and 80 fire appliances combated the fire, with assistance from local property owners. The Port Lincoln airport was temporarily closed, preventing additional fire fighters from being flown in from Adelaide. A major emergency was declared for the Eyre Peninsula from noon on 12 January until 16 January. As the fire tore through North Shields, a small settlement north of Port Lincoln, residents were ordered to leave their homes and head to the beaches to the east
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