Residents 'given just minutes to flee' as dangerous bushfire doubles in size

A second Kangaroo Island town has been evacuated Thursday afternoon as Country Fire Service crews deal with flare-ups and new outbreaks across the South Australian island fireground.

An emergency warning was in place for fires east of Parndana with authorities saying “Act now. Leave, if the path is clear to a safer place, as it will soon be too dangerous to drive”.

The fire has since doubled in size and the warning area now includes the entirety of Parndana after it started burning in a southeasterly direction.

It’s expected to begin moving in a northeasterly direction in the next few hours.

Parndana residents have been urged to leave and head for Kingscote or Penneshaw amid severe bushfire conditions and deteriorating weather on Thursday.

Store owners Jen and Mike Boyd were electing to stay and defend their property as the fire approached.

“I'm scared it's going to go and it's everything we have in the world,” Mrs Boyd told AAP.

“It has our house next to it, so if it goes up we lose our income and our home.

“I'm also scared for the town.”

Army officers in Parndana, went door-to-door earlier giving residents just five minutes to collect their belongings and evacuate, 10 News reported.

As of Thursday afternoon, there are two fires currently raging east of Parndana. One is heading in a southerly and easterly direction, away from the town, but a second one is burning to the west near the aquaculture ponds on McHughs Road.

A fire north of Parndana broke control lines earlier Thursday morning.

A third emergency warning is currently in place for the fire burning towards Vivonne Bay near South Coast Road, with residents urged to get out.

“This fire may pose a threat to lives directly in its path,” the CFS said in an alert issued at 2:30pm.

“Act now. Leave, if the path is clear to a safer place.”

While rainfall brought some brief relief to Australia’s bushfire ravaged east coast this week, temperatures and dangerous conditions are set to soar again on Thursday and Friday.

Parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia have been urged to brace for 40-degree temperatures.

Victorians have been ordered to prepare to flee amid “life or death” warnings in regions where bushfire’s are continuing to blaze.

Waterbombing craft submerged in dam

A waterbombing craft, contracted to the NSW Rural Fire Service, is submerged in a NSW South Coast dam after the pilot was forced to ditch on Thursday about 4pm.

The helicopter was tasked with fighting the Clyde Mountain Fire when the pilot was forced to ditch it into the Ben Boyd Reservoir in the Bega Valley.

NSW RFS said the chopper remains submerged but the pilot is OK with an ambulance on its way.

‘Not over by a long shot’

Calm and mild weather conditions in Victoria on Thursday will give way to extreme fire danger on Friday, as authorities urge residents to brace for danger.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Thursday will likely be the last day of respite for fire-ravaged eastern Victoria.

Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, in the thick of the Victorian bushfire danger zone, is expecting a top temperature of 40 degrees on Friday.

"Messages will be sent out Thursday and Friday this week. They are about life and death, and people need to remain vigilant," Mr Andrews said on Tuesday.

"This is not over by a long shot."

The Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday issued an extreme fire danger warning for the north of the state on Friday, with a severe warning for the Mallee and northeast districts.

Temperatures nearing 40 are forecast in some areas on Friday, along with northerly winds, ahead of a change in the afternoon.

Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville stressed that people in fire-affected areas should leave before fire conditions worsen.

"The safest place to be is outside those fire-affected areas, and in built-up areas," she said.

Bushfires have burnt more than 1.2 million hectares across Victoria, isolating towns and destroying hundreds of properties.

Three people have died in the fires in Victoria, with the third victim confirmed on Wednesday.

Forest Fires Management worker Mat Kavanagh, 43, died when his vehicle crashed on the Goulburn Valley Highway on January 3.

Meanwhile, 200 evacuees and 66 volunteer firefighters who left Mallacoota on HMAS Choules on Tuesday arrived at Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula on Wednesday afternoon.

More than 4000 people were originally stuck in Mallacoota, while the final 142 believed to remain stranded are expected to be airlifted out when conditions allow.

Risk of resurgent Kangaroo Island bushfire

Kangaroo Island residents are bracing for another day of severe fire risk with fears the major blaze will jump containment lines and surge a second time.

A total fire ban has been declared across the island on Thursday as both temperatures and winds rise, adding to the fire risk.

As a precaution, police and the Country Fire Service evacuated the town of Vivonne Bay on the south coast amid fears homes could not be protected should the fire move quickly into the area.

Made up of mostly holiday shacks, it's thought less than 100 people live there at any given time.

Police went door to door, calling on residents to head for Kingscote or Penneshaw, but some still chose to stay.

Those who left will not be allowed to return until Friday, but only if it is then deemed safe.

Vivonne Bay was only just spared last week, when fire roared through the western third of the island, burning 160,000 hectares and destroying 56 homes.

NSW fire crews make most of cooler weather

Fire crews will take advantage of cooler conditions across NSW as they battle to control several blazes ahead of forecast worsening conditions.

Rain and cooler temperatures are expected across the bushfire-ravaged NSW South Coast on Thursday, while the mercury is expected to reach the mid-to-high 20s in Sydney.

A "very high" fire danger is in place for northwest NSW, the southern slopes and the northern slopes on Thursday but no total fire bans have been declared.

NSW Rural Fire Services spokesman James Morris said crews will work on backburning as much as they can and will strengthen fire containment lines ahead of increased temperatures on Friday.

"On Friday we are likely to see increased conditions but at this stage we are not looking at seeing significant risks," he said.

Residents in bushfire areas are advised to continue to monitor the situation as conditions can change quickly, he added.

Eurobodalla Shire Council, which covers a large chunk of the south coast region, advised residents via Facebook to be ready to relocate ahead of Friday's forecast hot conditions.

The RFS on Wednesday confirmed 1687 homes had been destroyed this bushfire season, with another 692 damaged, while some 119 fires continue to burn across NSW.

WA highway fire breaks containment lines

Lives and homes are again in danger of a fast-moving and uncontrolled bushfire near Eyre Highway in Western Australia's southeast.

The alert was raised to emergency level on Wednesday afternoon after the blaze breached containment lines in several places.

The emergency warning is in place for Eyre Highway including Balladonia Roadhouse, Balladonia Homestead and south to Israelite Bay.

The fire began affecting highway lanes in both directions, which means the road will not reopen on Thursday as previously hoped.

"This is a dynamic situation ... these plans are subject to change with variable weather conditions and fire activity currently being experienced as ex-Tropical Cyclone Blake moves through the area," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said.

"Travellers from South Australia are strongly recommended to postpone your departure from your current location as there are very few facilities at the border and conditions are very hot.

"You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes."

The Coolgardie-Esperance Highway is open but restricted access permits are required. The Great Central Road has also re-opened, with caution at the Northern Territory border.

The blaze started near Balladonia on December 20.

With AAP

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