Fire burning out of control near Waikerie prompting Watch and Act message from CFS

A watch and act message has been issued for residents along the Sturt Highway near Waikerie as a grass fire burns out of control.

CFS extinguishing a fire. File pic

A watch and act message has been issued for residents along the Sturt Highway near Waikerie as a grass fire burns out of control.

The fire started near New Well Centre Rd, at Stockyard Plain, just after 8pm and is burning in a north easterly direction towards Ramco and The Sturt Hwy.

The CFS is warning people in the area to take action now.

“This bushfire may threaten your safety.”

“Prepare to leave. Check that the path is clear and go to a safer place. Do not enter this area as conditions are dangerous.”

It comes as police investigate a serious of suspicious fires that started on the Adelaide Plains during a day of extreme fire danger.

About 4.20pm, police and fire crews were called to Port Gawler Rd near old Port Wakefield Rd, at Two Wells, after reports of a grass fire burning in a vineyard.

With the cool change sweeping in across Adelaide, CFS crews quickly brought the fire under control.

Detectives from Barossa CIB and Crime Scene Investigators have attended the scene.

Early indication is the fire may have been deliberately lit.

Police are investigating if the fire is linked to other grass fires at Lower Light and Dublin that occurred later on Friday.

TONIGHT:
Crime Scene Investigators & Detectives on scene at a Two Wells grass fire as they hunt for a suspected firebug.
Exclusive footage of the moment the wanted person appears to strike tonight at [e-mail]/opZtDwmeG6

— Hannah Foord (@HannahFoord7) February 24, 2023

A grass fire emergency at Kangaroo Flat has forced hundreds of schoolchildren to bunker down. Meanwhile, a grass fire has come dangerously close to homes on Yarrabee Road at Greenhill. The latest in 7NEWS Adelaide at 6pm | https://t.co/8ftPfGh39Y#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/jxVRhFJhLi

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) February 24, 2023

Meanwhile, it was a nervous wait for residents of Gawler after a fire quickly escalated to emergency level at Kangaroo Flat just after 11am.

The Country Fire Service issued an emergency warning message for Redbank Rd, Kangaroo Flat, Kangaroo Flat and Ward Belt near Gawler in the lower Mid-North.

But with a swift response from firefighters on the ground and water bombers in the air, the blaze was brought under control and downgraded to advice level an hour later.

The CFS said it had halted the spread of the fire, which was burning in stubble and hay bales.

Twenty-one CFS crews were on the scene, with six aircraft and farm fighting units.

Locals were initially told to “take shelter” and that it was too late to leave because the roads would not be safe.

The CFS said the stubble fire was dangerous and dispatched fire bombers to the region where winds pushed the fire in a southerly direction.

There was also a minor fire at Midgee on the eastern Eyre Peninsula that has been brought under control.