Occupants evacuated, police investigations into house and shed fires on Saturday night

A man is in hospital and four people are lucky to be alive after a ferocious fire ripped through a shed in Adelaide’s south. See the video.

Denise Thompson who was staying at the property surveys what’s left of the shed that caught fire. Picture: Mark Brake

Police have launched an investigations into a suspicious fire which destroyed a shed and left a person in hospital on Saturday night.

Police and emergency services were called to a house in Christie Downs after reports of a fire engulfing a shed at the rear of the property on Saturday about 9.15pm.

Four people were evacuated from the Astrid St house and one was taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were able to put out the fire but it caused extensive damage to the shed.

Resident of the Astrid St home Denise Thompson, 62, said she was “just watching a movie” when she smelled smoke.

“It was pretty full on,” Ms Thompson said of the blaze.

“The kitchen windows have been blown out and the toilet window.

“There were explosions and the laundry door has been scorched.”

Ms Thompson said the blaze was so strong it was “still burning in the morning”.

There were eight people staying at the property, half of them in a shed in the backyard, who had gathered at the home to support a relative in hospital, Ms Thompson said.

She said her niece, Mandy, 43, became trapped and was rescued from the backyard of the property by a neighbour.

“The neighbour had to pull her over the fence,” Ms Thompson said.

The charred wreck of the shed at Christies Downs. Picture Mark Brake

The charred wreck of the shed at Christies Downs. Picture Mark Brake

She said another male neighbour came to try to put the fire out, but was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

Ms Thompson’s nephew, Matthew Varney, 27, said he was in bed when the fire started.

“I jumped out of bed and grabbed a fire extinguisher,” Mr Varney said.

“I got dragged away (by fire crews) because my extinguisher ran out and the flames came closer.”

Mr Varney said just the loss of the contents of the shed from the fire amounts to “about $10,000 to $20,000” as there were six bikes, each worth $2,000 that were “melted to the floor” due to the blaze.

“I’m grateful that these guys (fire fighters) saved our house,” Mr Varney said.

Neighbour Kym Tidswell, 60, said he was watching an action movie at the time when the explosions, occurring on his television, also started happening across road.

“I was watching Lethal Weapon and I was at the part where a building exploded and it (the house fire) was just like car doors slamming and there was screaming,” Mr Tidswell said.

“It was all lit up red.”

Police are encouraging anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area to come forward.

Police and emergency services were also called to an abandoned house in Seabreeze St at Grange after reports of a blaze at the rear of the property about 10.10pm.

Crews extinguished the blaze but it caused extensive damage to the house.

The cause of the fire is not yet known and police are appealing to anyone to come forward who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area.