A couple's drive to the airport has taken a shocking turn after their hire car fell into a large sinkhole in Adelaide.

The crater at Hyde Park, caused by a burst water main, swallowed the front wheels of the Kia van, which then became stuck for two hours.

A burst main also caused an early-morning deluge on Park Street.

READ MORE: Body found in bushfire-hit area of Victoria

"We're just standing here watching the car sink and there was no one here, like I was directing traffic initially," witness Sanja Nikolic said.

The water threatened homes and flowed into a cellar below a young family's home as other residents watched it move dangerously close.

The visitors caught on their way to the airport were from the Northern Territory and making their way to return the rental car before a flight home.

READ MORE: Man, 19, arrested after teenager found fatally stabbed in CBD

They first drove into what was a small ditch, and soon there was no turning back.

"We could still see the number plate of the car, like it was submerged maybe that much, but then over time, it's been maybe an hour," Nikolic said.

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Both the driver and her passenger managed to get out of the van and caught an Uber to the airport.

Two hours later, SA Water crews finally cut the supply, leaving about 50 homes without water.

The car was eventually pulled from the crater.

A family is grateful to be alive after they were forced to huddle together inside a shipping container as flames tore through their home.

Isabel Bafunno, 81, said they tried to put out the fire when it reached their remote Caveat property in Victoria, but "it was hopeless".

Outside, fire crews battled one of the state's fiercest blazes, named the Longwood fire.

READ MORE: Homes razed, cattle killed as fires continue to burn

Bafunno, her 59-year-old daughter, and her 92-year-old brother Peter Palmieri endured a long, anxious wait.

It wasn't until Saturday morning that the Police Air Wing chopper arrived to get them to safety.

"They're an amazing lot. They are wonderful, wonderful people, all of them in that kind of thing," she said.

Peter thought the home he built in 1976 was fireproof – but the intensity of the blaze was nothing he'd seen before.

An ember attack overwhelmed the property.

"Suddenly, I don't know maybe the heat it blew up the wall over the home, it blew up," he said.

"Everywhere you look it looked like a war, sparks everywhere."

Isabel's daughter braved the flames to save the family cat.

"We had to run into the house and it was all smoke, and we couldn't see a thing, you know," she said.

Their beloved Bubba is recovering at a nearby vet.

Air Wing Tactical Flight Officer LSC Brittany Smith said they were extremely lucky.

"By no means do we encourage people to shelter in shipping containers, however on this occasion all I can say is this family is extremely lucky," she said.

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"It was good we were able to get in and get them out."

Many Victorians are returning home for the first time.

In Yarck, residents are only just being let back in, stepping into the aftermath of what the fire spared, and what it didn't.

The Maroondah Highway is lined with the ruins of family homes, at least 11 have been lost in a town that has only about 30.

With fire bearing down on all sides, Bob Balsdon stood his ground armed with nothing more than a mop and a bucket.

READ MORE: 'Significant rain' still expected as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji crosses Queensland

"Yeah, at one stage we had to because the fire truck had to go in the end," he said.

"Nobody could get water so we just fought it with buckets and mops and shovels, whatever we could to save the house."

Because it's been so hard for crews to get into Yarck, they haven't been able to assess the trees, so the Maroondah Highway has turned into a dangerous obstacle course.

A Sydney childcare centre is the first to be shut down amid a tough new crackdown, after it failed to meet national standards for more than decade.

The Fun2Learn centre at Rosehill permanently shut its doors on Friday after dozens of breaches were uncovered.

News of the shutdown was delivered to 37 families in mid-December.

READ MORE: Body found in bushfire-hit area of Victoria

Acting Early Learning Minister Courtney Houssos said: "This shouldn't come as a shock for the centre, when they have failed to meet the standards for 12 years."

While no serious child safety incident occurred, the Early Learning Commission is making no apologies for cracking down on providers.

"We'll continue to do so to rebuild the trust in parents so they know that when they drop their children at a childcare centre that they have confidence that it's in a safe and a quality environment," Houssos said.

READ MORE: Homes razed, cattle killed as fires continue to burn

Among the 41 breaches since 2023, authorities claim they found an emergency exit door at the centre padlocked shut.

Unlabelled chemicals were lying around in children's bathrooms and there was no appropriate plan for children with severe allergies.

Other breaches included consultants without proper working with children checks, children playing with dangerous objects and poor hygiene in the centre.

When 9News spoke to the owner this morning, she was distraught, adamant that she would never put a child at risk and that she was working on a continuous improvement program – one that had been set down by the department.

READ MORE: 'Significant rain' still expected as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji crosses Queensland

Fun2Learn is the first to be closed under new tougher regulations, but between July 2024 and the end of September last year, 22 other centres were shut for breaches.

The minister said the department would work with families to find an alternative.

"We know that it can be really difficult to find a place but we have to balance that against the responsibility we have to ensure that children are safe," she said.

Owner Dev Senthiya said around 20 firefighters contained the roof blaze.

A person has died in a bushfire in Victoria and fires continue to burn out of control across parts of the state as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan visited some of the devastated areas.

Police said this afternoon that they had found human remains in an area ravaged by the Longwood bushfire.

The person has not been formally identified.

LIVE UPDATES: Towns wiped out as state remains on high alert

READ MORE: Homes razed, cattle killed as fires continue to burn

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"Police were able to access a fire-affected stretch off Yarck Road at Gobur this afternoon," they said.

"The remains were found around 100m from a vehicle."

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

On Saturday, Victoria Police confirmed the safety of three formerly unaccounted for people missing after their home was destroyed in the same fire.

Three fires are burning at emergency-level in the state: the catastrophic Longwood fire in central Victoria almost two hours from Melbourne, the fire in Walwa in the state's north-east and a fire in the Carlisle River in the Otways around the Great Ocean Road.

Dozens of people have lost their homes, with about 300 structures destroyed, and cattle and wildlife have been killed and injured, including at an animal sanctuary.

READ MORE: 'Significant rain' still expected as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji crosses Queensland

Albanese and Allan have seen the devastation first hand and announced a multimillion-dollar relief package.

They visited the small town of Harcourt, which has been devastated.

A combined $19.5 million from the state and commonwealth has been put up to cover counselling, start the clean-up and provide emergency cash.

"This is a one-off, immediate payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per child who've been severely affected," Albanese said.

"We've got your back. Not just during this crisis, but through the recovery as well."

Bianca Hitchens is still coming to grips with the loss of her home of 23 years, one of 47 destroyed in Harcourt along with three businesses.

"It's a nice gesture and it's really appreciated – but what does it get me? What does it get us?" she said.

"I don't need anything, but I need everything."

The place where she raised two children has been razed.

"I feel like everything about me was here, and it's erased. And I feel like I kind of never existed. Everything's gone," she said.

Another 150 were lost in Longwood and 30 more in Natimuk.

Across Victoria, 350 thousand hectares have been burnt.

Allan warned that will increase.

Officials say it'll take weeks to fully understand the extent of the damage with many spots still too dangerous to access even for trained crews.

But it hasn't stopped others trying to pass roadblocks to see it for themselves.

"These are not places for visitors, spectators, tourists," Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said.

"It is wrong to go into these firegrounds where it's unsafe and you don't belong there – and you will be dealt with by Victoria Police," Allan said.

It was the perfect end to her comeback, after being off the WTA tour since last September.

Multiple heat alerts in place today across the country, posing an ‘extreme’ fire risk.

A 51-year-old man has died at a detention centre in Sydney after being found wounded.

Emergency services were called to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in the city's west at 6.35am today.

The man's body was found with a serious wound.

Homicide police are investigating.

READ MORE: Body found in bushfire-hit area of Victoria

Emergency services attended three accidents that disrupted traffic across the city today.

Thousands of firefighters are battling multiple out-of-control bushfires across Victoria after overnight winds worsened conditions across the state.

Three fires are burning at emergency-level: the catastrophic Longwood fire in central Victoria, the fire in Walwa in the state's north-east and a fire in the Carlisle River in the Otways around the Great Ocean Road.

Dozens of people have lost their homes, with about 300 structures destroyed, and cattle and wildlife have been killed and injured, including at an animal sanctuary.

LIVE UPDATES: Get all of the latest Vic Emergency warnings here

LIVE UPDATES: Cyclone set to make landfall, bushfire battle rages on

Conditions are expected to ease tomorrow, but warnings remain.

"Many of these major fires will continue to burn for days if not weeks," Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said during a press conference yesterday.

Sheer scale of Longwood fire

About 15,000 responders have been on the ground fighting dozens of separate fires across Victoria.

Some are much larger than others and three are at emergency level.

The Longwood fire, which is still burning out of control, has a perimeter of around 400 kilometres.

Firefighters are still battling to contain the monster blaze, which is threatening multiple townships in the state's north.

READ MORE: Residents 'shattered' after losing family relics in bushfire

There are several take shelter warnings in place for communities impacted.

The township of Ruffy had numerous properties and the town's 150-year-old school decimated by the Longwood Fire.

Ten fires remain of great concern, premier says

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said there are 10 major fire zones that are of particular concern to authorities.

An "enormous" amount of resources has been deployed to these areas, Allan said.

READ MORE: 'It was too late': Firefighter loses home while defending neighbouring properties

Harcourt fire now around 80 per cent contained

The devastating Harcourt fire, which has reduced multiple homes to rubble, is now mostly contained.

"To give you a sense of the enormous work that's been done in just a 24-hour period, the Harcourt fire ground is around 80 per cent contained," Allan said.

"Which is just a remarkable effort given this time yesterday it was a very hot and active fire."

The fire swept through Harcourt on Friday afternoon, with its speed catching locals by surprise.

$19.5m fire support package announced

The federal and state governments will offer a $19.5 million package to support those who have been impacted by the fires.

"The package has been shaped by what we've been hearing on the ground over the last couple of days, and it's why it focuses on the personal hardship payments, emergency accommodation and also support for livestock as well," Allan said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the jointly funded package will provide urgent financial help to primary producers who have lost a significant amount of livestock.

"It's estimated that thousands of heads of cattle are likely to have been impacted and in need of urgent attention and care," he said.

Impacted residents who have been injured or lost homes will also be eligible for a one-off disaster recovery immediate payment of $1000 per adult and $400 per child.

"My message to Victorians is pretty simple: We've got your back, not just during this crisis but through the recovery as well," Albanese said.

"We'll work cooperatively with the government to make sure we deliver what is necessary so that people and communities can get back on their feet after what has been a very difficult period."

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared a significant event.

That means it will work with government and agencies to understand impacts on locals and ensure affected residents receive assistance.

READ MORE: 'It was too late': Brigade commander loses home while defending neighbouring properties

Emergency relief assistance extended

Allan said the community is grieving as she declared a state of disaster across Victoria.

The primary reason for the declaration was to allow more powers for emergency workers to force evacuations and keep people out of danger areas.

"This has been with one single purpose, protecting and saving Victorian lives," Allan said in a press conference on Saturday morning.

It also opens up more support payments for those in need, with anyone in a fire zone now eligible.

"This will not be the end of the assistance for those fire-affected communities, as those impact assessments continue, we know there is a long recovery journey ahead," Allan said.

Fresh fire ban issued

A fresh fire ban has been issued for a large part of Victoria for tomorrow.

It covers the north-east and north central districts.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the ban had been declared due to the fires still burning.

"Despite conditions easing we still need to mitigate all the risk we can so our focus can stay on the fires we already have in these districts," he said.

Wildlife sanctuary destroyed by fire

A fundraiser has raised over $200k after a veteran wildlife rescuer lost her home and sanctuary.

Dr Robyn Coy ran Tarcombe Wildlife Shelter which has been destroyed in the Longwood fire, about two hours from Melbourne.

The 69-year-old was only able to save a dog and a handful of other animals.

"She saved what she could with her bare hands and her own body. She would have stayed.

"She would have died with them if her brothers had not physically come and taken her away," the page reads.

A GoFundMe has been launched.

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