Warning downgraded as homes likely lost in huge Cherry Gardens fire
The CFS has announced the Cherry Gardens fire is now officially contained, as evacuated residents return home.
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UPDATE: With the bushfire now contained, this article is being retired. For future updates, visit the new link here.
The Cherry Gardens fire, which destroyed more than 2700ha of grassland and at least 19 buildings, has been contained.
The CFS posted an update just before 8pm advising that significant rainfall had helped to reduce the fire, and crews would work to help residents return to their homes.
Flooding is now a risk, as fire trails become difficult to navigate due to mud.
At least two houses have been destroyed as well as another 17 outbuildings and sheds, as Major Crime detectives begin to investigate.
Unconfirmed reports say at least five properties have been impacted by fire, the CFS says, with more than 2700ha of grassland and scrub burnt.
At least two cars are gone, but 60 houses have been saved, as well as two other outbuildings.
The blaze has a perimeter of more than 28km and will burn for days, CFS incident controller Scott Turner said.
Rain is falling across the fireground and city - the BOM says 19mm had fallen by about 4.30pm at Scott Creek.
The fire is still burning on the north-eastern and south-western edges, pushing in two directions towards Longwood, Mylor and Biggs Flat in the Adelaide Hills.
Mr Turner said 300 firefighters would remain on site overnight, with rain helping – and hampering planned backburning efforts. It also slickens and muddies fire trails.
“Unfortunately rain estimates won’t be enough to extinguish the fire,” Mr Turner said. “The greatest challenge that the rain brings to CFS is it will stop us putting on much-needed burning operations tonight and tomorrow.
“The rain will stop burning-out operations tonight, leaving the fireline open. It prevents us putting a black edge on the fire.”
A man charged over the nearby Clarendon fire has his identity suppressed by a court, and the CFS turning over fire-cause investigations to Major Crime detectives.
“As of late this afternoon we’ve allowed Major Crime to assist with the investigation team,” Mr Turner said.
There are two fires under investigation – the Clarendon fire and Cherry Gardens fire, which had five ignition spots.
“There is exceptional frustration from communities from the potential (arsonist),” Mr Turner said.
#Bushfire Advice Message : Issued for #CHERRY_GARDENS,_HICKS_HILL_ROAD #fire. If you are in this area stay alert, monitor local conditions and decide what you will do if the situation changes. #BAM ID=0005373 #SAFireshttps://t.co/JosnifYVRgpic.twitter.com/KW98AEORCc
— Country Fire Service (@CFSAlerts) January 25, 2021
Backburning operations on the northern area will restart once the rain stops and fuel loads dry up.
“But the danger will remain for many days until we can get a black line around the perimeter,” he said.
The fire will continue to burn in the Scott Creek conservation area and surrounds for the next four to five days, he said.
Crews will remain on the ground until the weekend and the CFS hopes to have it contained by 8pm tomorrow night.
“We will be reducing the road closures … to allow people to return back in,” he said on Monday afternoon.
There has been minimal livestock hurt by the blaze, Mr Turner said.
Mr Turner said the Cherry Gardens fire began as five separate fires and converged, the large fire itself igniting other firefronts.
Early damage assessement
Earlier on Monday CFS stat duty commander Yvette Dowling said it was believed at least two homes were fire-hit.
“Assessment teams are still on the ground and we’re waiting for that information to come in but we do believe there’s two houses. We’re not sure if they’re damaged or destroyed at this point,” Ms Dowling said.
“We do believe there may be up to 11 structures of some sort (destroyed or damaged), but we’re not sure whether they were domestic dwellings or outbuildings at this stage.
“When you look at what the fire behaviour was doing yesterday, it could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for the great work of the crews out on the ground and also the aircraft that were supporting those crews.”
Ms Dowling said there were no reports of serious injury during the fire however one CFS member suffered smoke inhalation.
The area burning is in inaccessible terrain that largely hasn’t been burnt since Ash Wednesday, she said, creating very heavy fuel loads.
GALLERY: See more gripping photos from the Cherry Gardens fire in our gallery
A man already charged with starting a blaze at nearby Clarendon is being questioned by police about the Cherry Gardens fire. The CFS says he is not a current volunteer.
His identity was suppressed by a court on Monday afternoon as police examine links to other fires.
Police Minister Vincent Tarzia would not confirm if the man was being watched under SAPOL’s Operation Nomad, which monitors known firebugs and arsonists.
“When you get multiple fires start all in the same place, you’ve got to wonder what the cause is,” Ms Dowling said.
Mr Tarzia urged anyone with information about the fires to call police or Crime Stoppers.
“If they have been deliberately lit, (the responsible person or people) are absolutely despicable; they are dangerous; they are stupid; they are reckless,” he said.
Premier Steven Marshall thanked everyone involved in fighting the fire, especially the volunteers.
AlertSA app defended
Emergency Services Minister Vincent Tarzia has defended the Alert SA App after concerns were raised about delays in issuing emergency messages during the Cherry Gardens bushfire.
“I’ve conducted inquiries … and my advice is that the Alert SA app worked very well,” he said.
It came after community members reported that emergency alerts for the bushfire, which has destroyed at least 13 homes or sheds, were sent out too slowly.
Jupiter Creek resident Roger Tinning was among those who voiced his concern.
“I thought they were a bit slow on (Sunday) afternoon – It seemed to catch everyone by surprise,” he said.
CFS State Duty Commander Yvette Dowling was asked about the issue at a press conference on Monday.
“That’s something we’d need to investigate post the event,” she said.
“We’ll take whatever information the community has got and we’ll investigate it and then report back as to what those findings are.”
The original Alert SA app, introduced in 2015, was scrapped in January 2018 after it crashed and failed to provide emergency alerts.
A revamped Alert SA app was launched in December 2019.
The smartphone app provides notifications about bushfire alerts, warnings and updates.
Community gathers at Echunga
Hundreds of locals have gathered at the Echunga Football Club for a community meeting on the current fires.
Mr Turner said firefighters had been battling against two separate wind patterns.
“The weather was forecast today to be coming from the north this morning in the early hours and pushing to the south,” he said.
“Those who live close to where the fire was burning will know the northern end of our fire has southerly winds.
“So our fire is burning in two directions. That’s not common for fire.”
However, the wind is expected to “swing around to the southeast” and remain like that for 12 hours.
“From a fire service point of view, that’s really good for us. It means we have some certainty on where the fire is going to be pushed by the wind,” Mr Turner said.
Mr Turner confirmed property losses near where the fire started on Hicks Hill Road at Cherry Gardens.
He said the latest fire that started on the Echunga side of Mount Bold, which flared up this morning, was a result of ash that dropped from large smoke plumes from the main Cherry Gardens fire.
SAPOL’s Inspector Gus Sickerdick said there were about six separate “fire seats” in the Hills on Sunday.
“The South Coast CIB are looking into the entire investigation and they are getting support from Major Crime,” he said.
“Once (officers) get access, they will be going through the whole area with a fine-tooth comb.”
The fire started in the Scott Creek Conservation Park about 4pm on Sunday. An emergency warning issued this morning was downgraded to a Watch and Act and then to advice level for Heathfield, Longwood, Mylor, Bradbury, Biggs Flat, Scotts Creek, Cherry Gardens, Mount Bold, and Chapel Hill.
Locals are gathering at the Echunga Football Club for an 11am community meeting @theTiser#CherryGardenspic.twitter.com/MqpbeJqQYL
— Gabriel Polychronis (@G_Polychronis) January 25, 2021
Federal MP Rebekha Sharkie has told locals to contact her office for financial help, not Centerlink. Social Services Minister Anne Ruston is considering extra resources for those affected by the fire.
A specialist high-altitude scanning aircraft from Victoria undertook an imaging flight overnight and showed over 2500ha have been burnt.
Crews backburned overnight. but the fire is burning in inaccessible terrain with heavy fuels and much of this fire’s edge is still active.
There are multiple road closures in the area, and these will change over the coming days – the South Eastern Freeway is still open and currently unaffected. Road closures can be found at traffic.sa.gov.au.
SCHOOLS CLOSED
Students go back to most schools across SA on Wednesday, but the fire has closed several schools, preschools and OSHC centres in the fireground:
– Kangarilla Primary School
– Clarendon Primary School
– Clarendon Kindergarten
– Mylor Primary School
– Echunga Primary School
– Heathfield Primary School
– Heathfield High School
– Bridgewater Primary School
– Bridgewater Kindergarten
– Aldgate Primary School
– Aldgate Kindergarten
– Stirling East Primary School
– Stirling East Kindergarten
– Stirling and Districts Kindergarten
– Upper Sturt Primary School
– Scott Creek Primary School
HOMES LIKELY LOST
Meanwhile, buildings have been damaged and there are fears homes have been lost in the Cherry Gardens bushfire.
CFS deputy chief officer Andrew Stark said homes were likely to have been destroyed, but officers would be assessing the damage through the morning.
“We expect that there will have been a number of homes that have been lost,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Monday morning.
He also confirmed people had suffered minor injuries related to heat and smoke.
Mr Stark said calm winds overnight had been favourable for controlling the fire. But the winds had since picked up and, despite rain now falling, were causing increased activity.
“People need to be quite vigilant, conditions are changing rapidly and we’re seeing some possible breakouts to the north and to the east side of the fire,” he said.
What has burnt so far in the Cherry Gardens fire. 60-year-old man Hallett Cove man due to face court today. Latest updates @theTiser throughout the day. @CFSAlerts Watch and Act remains in place for the entire orange zone. Stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/h5yQAdVl2T
— Col James (@ColinJamesTiser) January 24, 2021
FREEWAY STILL OPEN
The South Eastern Freeway remains open and unaffected but Premier Steven Marshall said the CFS and police would continue to work together to see if it should be shut.
“They would escalate things to me and to cabinet if we needed to do anything. but quite frankly we have a very well oiled machine when it comes to these types of incidents,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison checked in with Mr Marshall this morning to offer Federal Government’s assistance with the Cherry Gardens blaze if it is needed.
“None is required at this stage,” Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
“We just look forward to a day in Adelaide where they are able to get on top of that and everybody can remain safe.
“It was a very positive report from the Premier and we wish them all the best today and we thank all of those volunteer firefighters.”
MAN ARRESTED OVER CLARENDON FIRE
Meanwhile a 60-year-old Hallett Cove man has been arrested and charged after he was caught leaving the scene of a fire at Clarendon on Sunday. SA Police will allege that a vehicle was spotted speeding away from a fire that had just started on Piggott Range Rd, just after 6pm Sunday.
That fire was extinguished by members of the public, with minimal damage caused to scrubland.
The man was breath tested, allegedly returning a result of 0.145. He has been charged with causing a bushfire, driving unlicensed, engaging in police pursuit, drink driving, and altering/defacing number plates. He has been refused bail and will appear in Christies Beach Court today.
Detectives are investigating if there are any links between that fire and others in the area, and ask any witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers.
Residents across the Adelaide Hills evacuated on Sunday night as the huge Cherry Gardens fire burnt out of control in changing winds and extreme heat.
The blaze started about 4pm Sunday afternoon at Cherry Gardens, near the Scott Creek Conservation Park. There were reports of multiple ignition points.
North-easterly winds initially pushed the fire into the densely vegetated Scott Creek Conservation Park and Mt Bold Reservoir before swinging around to the southwest, turning the face of the fire towards Echunga, Meadows and Macclesfield.
The overnight temperature in Adelaide hovered around the high 20s dropping to a low of 25.6C at 5am on Monday. Monday is expected to reach 32C and rain has started falling although the Bureau of Meteorology says it’s not expected to be heavy until later this afternoon.
The CFS has warned of road closures in the areas surrounding the fires. SA Police earlier released this list of closed roads, but others will be affected as the fire progresses.
An enormous pyrocumulonimbus cloud created by the fire was seen across the Adelaide Hills, metropolitan Adelaide and Fleurieu Peninsula.
People across the Adelaide Hills have already fled their houses, pets in tow, and sought refuge as the Cherry Gardens bushfire approached the area on Sunday night.
HOW THE FIRE UNFOLDED
On Sunday, CFS controller Yvette Dowling said the fire had started from several ignition points which had merged into one, raising fears it may have been deliberately lit.
By late Sunday evening the fire had destroyed almost 1300ha and created a 15km perimeter. More than 400 firefighters from around 80 units had been deployed to the fire ground.
Crews were initially aided by eight waterbombing aircraft working to stop the spread of the fire, but as evening fell and the fire continued to rage the planes and helicopters were grounded.
Crews from the Department of Environment and Water (DEWR), Metropolitan Fire Service and property owners with firefighting units also assisted in the effort.
Seven CFS strike teams comprising 35 units from the surrounding area massed in the evening before being deployed to the fire ground to relieve tired crews and target the advancing fire front.
While winds pushed the fire towards properties, they were not the only problem for firefighters.
Crews battled the fire on rough terrain which allowed the fire to gain momentum as it roared up hills of dry scrub.
Additionally, temperatures in the low-40s put crews at risk of heat exhaustion with at least one volunteer being treated by paramedics at the scene.
The CFS was also tackling fires at Finniss near Currency Creek, and Tilley Swamp, in the Upper South-East.
Earlier, crews were sent to two suspicious fires at Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills and Shea-Oak Log, near the Barossa Valley.
However, the Adelaide Hills blaze quickly became the one which most concerned the CFS, with emergency warnings being issued to residents living on several roads near Cherry Gardens where the fire started on Hicks Hill Road around 4pm.
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