A general view shows a shed destroyed during bushfires in Upper Hermitage in the Adelaide Hills. Photo / Getty Images
A general view shows a shed destroyed during bushfires in Upper Hermitage in the Adelaide Hills. Photo / Getty Images
Seven homes have been confirmed destroyed and many more are suspected to have been lost as a major bushfire continues to burn fiercely through the Adelaide Hills.
The Country Fire Service says 22 fire fighters have also been injured in the blaze, though none seriously, and one fire truck destroyedin the worst conditions since Ash Wednesday in 1983.
Temperatures in the fire zone were forecast to be cooler on Sunday, with a top of 31C tipped for Adelaide, but winds were expected to reach 40km/h in the hills in the morning and the evening.
The Country Fire Service reduced the fire warning from the highest emergency level to a watch and act message.
However, it said the fire was stilling burning on several fronts and threatened the safety of residents in a number of communities including Sampson Flat, One Tree Hill, Humbug Scrub, Millbrook Reservoir, Kersbrook, Gumeracha, Birdwood, Mount Crawford and Kenton Valley.
The blaze has already destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of scrub, with the full loss of property, including livestock, fencing sheds and homes, yet to be determined.
Among the confirmed losses is a dog and cat boarding business near Inglewood where a large number of dogs and cats died.
The CFS also warned on Sunday of the danger now posed by trees that had already fallen or could fall over the next few days.
"This hazard places a huge risk on the community living or working in this area and is delaying the return of residents to their homes," it said.
So far no-one has been allowed to return to a home in the fire zone and more than 20 roads remain closed.
"While everything is being done to permit the return of people to their homes, public safety is a priority," police said.
"Members of the public are asked to be patient."
The threat posed by the blaze to Adelaide's north-eastern suburb, which reached its height on Friday night, was reduced on Sunday with winds now pushing the blaze away from homes in those areas.
