'Light turned to dark': Tourists and residents tell of grim bushfire experiences

A dust storm in Mildura, Victoria. Photo / Twitter

A traveller forced to flee her caravan during a dangerous bushfire on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula has recalled the moment "light turned to dark".

Rhonda Stewart, of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, was at the Edithburgh Caravan Park when she and the others on site were told to evacuate just before midnight on Wednesday.

A 5000-hectare large blaze broke out during catastrophic fire danger conditions on Wednesday afternoon. Photo / Brett Dalton

"A lot of the people who were travelling, we all elected to go down to the boat ramp just near the beach," she said.

"Just as it was getting light, around 5 or 6am, light turned to dark and all you could see was smoke… You couldn't see the boat ramp, you couldn't see the beach."

Ms Stewart said they returned a few hours later to find the park unscathed but the inside and outside of the caravans covered in soot and ash.

The 5000-hectare large blaze broke out during catastrophic fire danger conditions on Wednesday afternoon, and burned uncontrolled in stubble towards the coastal towns of Edithburgh and Coobowie.

At least 11 properties have been damaged or destroyed, including homes and sheds, and 33 people have been treated for minor injuries including smoke inhalation.

It was another tough day for Victoria yesterday which saw record-breaking temperatures and 100km/h winds.

Firefighters battled more than 60 blazes across the state and more than 80,000 customers were left without power in the western part of the state, with Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat hardest hit.

However, Weather is forecast to be milder during the weekend. The fire danger rating for Friday has been downgraded to high in the northern districts of the state, and low all across the southern regions.

Clearer this morn, but still eerie #Sydney #sydneysmoke pic.twitter.com/ott0YLDuyQ

— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) November 21, 2019

Mildura in Victoria, Australia, was covered by a thick dust storm on Thursday which turned the entire town orange.

Temperatures soared to 40C and intense high wind conditions created the cloud cover.

Another #dust storm #mildura #victoria #australia #weather @JaneBunn pic.twitter.com/dZar5SUldI

— Tigerkat - Planet Earth (@marks_katrina) November 21, 2019

A code red fire warning is in place across the state, meaning residents have to be ready for the worst bushfire conditions.

'The sky is literally brown, the dust in the air is just so thick. The sky is now deep orange. And the wind is harsh,' a resident told AAP.

'Apocalyptic' dust storm hits Mildura, Victoria on Code Red bushfire day, Australia https://t.co/GPX5jSHkjp #Dust #DustStorm #Victoria #Mildura #Australia

— The Watchers (@TheWatchers_) November 21, 2019

- additional reporting AAP