Bushfire clean-up notices issued to thousands of Adelaide and Mt Lofty homeowners
Some Adelaide homeowners are ready for bushfire season – but others are woefully unprepared. See the worst areas here.
Adelaide Hills
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Thousands of Adelaide landowners have failed to clean up their properties for the bushfire season, prompting a call by the Country Fire Service to act now or potentially lose it all.
With Adelaide and the Mt Lofty region entering this year’s season on Wednesday, The Advertiser can reveal metro councils have issued 5075 clean-up notices so far this year.
It’s a slight decrease from figures reported last year (5233) but a staggering 13 per cent jump from figures recorded in 2019, one of SA’s worst fire seasons in history.
Residents in Port Adelaide Enfield were the worst offenders for unkept yards and blocks with 1275 notices issued.
Playford, Salisbury, Onkaparinga and Burnside rounded out the top five for metro Adelaide with 953, 846, 430 and 161 notices issued respectively.
In the Mt Lofty bushfire region, 1035 notices were issued.
This included 692 notices in the Mount Barker District Council area – 27 per cent more than the same time last year.
A CFS spokeswoman said now was the time to act and prepare.
“With a few bursts of hot weather this week, it is a good reminder to prepare your home and property now – don’t leave it until it is too late – a properly prepared property has a much greater chance of providing you with a safe place to seek shelter and gives you a better chance of surviving during a bushfire,” she said.
“Bushfire risk may not be as high this summer as in some years, but bushfires happen every summer in Australia and even short periods of hot and windy weather will raise the fire risk especially in areas that have seen a lot of vegetation growth during spring.”
Mount Barker District Council’s general manager of infrastructure Phil Burton said a wet spring had contributed to a spike in notices issued.
“The conditions this season have meant a strong growing season and many areas that have been attended to are already showing a level of regrowth that may present concerns,” he said.
“The cooler wetter weather has also led to later action by land owners and as a result a higher level of notices issued this season.”
Mr Burton said he urged residents to clean up their blocks of face fines of up to $315.
“Properties will be reinspected after December 1 for compliance to the original notices and only then will non-compliant properties be issued with fines and failure to comply notices,” he said.
Clean-up notices have not yet been tallied for Tea Tree Gully, Campbelltown, Charles Sturt, Prospect and Holdfast Bay.
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