"Australian Firefighters Battle Worst Bushfire in Decades"

"2,000 firefighters are battling a rapidly spreading blaze covering nearly 12,000 acres in South Australia."

"Dozens of homes were feared lost as an intense bushfire affecting thousands of acres raged out of control in South Australia Saturday, forcing residents to flee their homes and leaving 2,000 firefighters struggling to contain the worst blaze the region has seen in decades.

The fires at Sampson Flat, located northeast of the state capital Adelaide in the country's south, was spreading rapidly in all directions, sweeping from a 380-acre area on Friday afternoon to nearly 12,000 acres on Saturday. Officials urged people to evacuate 19 towns in the Adelaide Hills, an area with a population of about 40,000 known for its farms and wineries.

'Your life is at risk,' South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill told residents of the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, urging them to leave as fire raged through the rugged scrub. 'If you've decided to stay, you need to be aware that the fire will become incredibly scary and could lead you to change your mind at some point. It could be a catastrophic decision for you to leave late,' he said."

Aljazeera America had the story January 3, 2015.