Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Residents in parts of South Australia were urged to flee their homes today as soaring temperatures and strong winds prompted authorities to issue the nation’s first “catastrophic” bushfire warning.

The new alert was introduced in the wake of the so-called Black Saturday bushfires that killed 173 people in the southeastern state of Victoria on Feb. 7 this year and prompted calls for better warning systems.

The alert covered the sparsely populated North West Pastoral district and the Flinders region, an area popular with tourists that has several townships of 500 to 1,500 people. The weather bureau forecast temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) again tomorrow and said the West Coast and Eastern Eyre Peninsula districts of South Australia will face a catastrophic fire danger.

Other than a blaze that destroyed about 30 hectares (74 acres) of farmland today, the region escaped serious incidents, Nick Ludborzs, a prevention officer for the state’s Country Fire Service, said in a telephone interview. “With the ongoing hot weather, people shouldn’t be complacent,” he said.

The Black Saturday blazes destroyed about 2,000 homes as winds as strong as 125 kilometers an hour powered flames across the parched countryside, razing entire towns. The disaster was preceded by temperatures that peaked at 48 degrees Celsius in areas of Victoria. An inquiry into the disaster found warnings to be inadequate.

Bushfire Season

Authorities say that Victoria’s bushfire season that began Oct. 28 may be worse than last, because of 13 years of drought and high temperatures.

The Bureau of Meteorology said parts of New South Wales state, including the Lower Central West Plains, tomorrow face extreme fire danger, one step down from catastrophic.

Under the new fire danger rating system people are told there is a very high likelihood they will die or be injured if caught in the path of a “catastrophic” fire.

While residents cannot be ordered to evacuate, the rating system advises that in catastrophic conditions, it won’t be safe to stay and defend homes.

Fires will be “uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving” with flames higher than roof tops. The wording of the warning varies slightly from state to state.

“After Black Saturday, awareness of bushfires has increased,” said Ludborzs. “But, unfortunately, there is still a percentage of the population that thinks it won’t happen to them.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 18, 2009 01:55 EST