Huge blaze at Edwardstown and several other small fires cause smoke to waft towards city causing $5m damage
Suspicious circumstances have been ruled out as the cause of a massive blaze that destroyed a business near the city. It’s damage bill is expected to reach $5m.
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Suspicious circumstances have been ruled out as the cause of a huge blaze that gutted an Edwardstown business overnight with an estimated damage bill of $5m.
The fire started just before 2am Thursday at the building behind the Maid of Auckland Hotel – Rodney Robertson & Associates, which is a signage company.
More than 60 firefighters on 15 fire trucks with an aerial appliance fought to contain the blaze.
An advice message was issued at 2.45am, with authorities warning smoke was drifting in a westerly direction.
The fire was contained in an hour-and-a-half, but residents were advised to shut their doors and windows due to plastic toxins released from the fire on Thursday morning.
The damage bill has been set at more than $5m.
Fire cause investigators attended the site on Thursday morning and said while the cause has not yet been determined it is not believed to be suspicious.
An MFS spokesman said there was a plastic-heavy fuel load inside the building.
“There is a smoke haze and probably will be for the rest of the day around the Maid of Auckland Hotel on South Rd,” he said.
He said the MFS would work with the business owners at Rodney Robertson & Associates in their recovery.
A brush fence was also set fire in what police understand was a targeted attack in the CBD overnight.
The fire started on South Terrace about 2am on Thursday.
Police are investigating the incident but believe it was deliberately lit.
It comes after several grassfires caused smoke to waft around the Adelaide CBD on Wednesday night.
Those wandering through the city or inside buildings noticed a strong smoke smell, thought to have been caused by a small grass fire at McLaren Vale that began about 5pm.
Water bombers were called in, before being deemed unnecessary, for the fire on Pedler Rd that required around 10 CFS resources to fight it.
Nearby at Aldinga Beach, a fire was contained and extinguished on Seaview St about 7pm.
A larger scrub fire at Myponga Beach took 35 volunteer firefighters and four water bombers who undertook 14 drops to contain the fire on Whitelaw Rd at 5pm.
In the northern suburbs, a slightly larger fire was contained on Parkers Rd at Gawler Belt about 6pm.
It took 36 firefighters, along with farm fire units and water bombers to contain the blaze, but not before it burnt 6ha of land.
In the Adelaide Hills, a burn off at Mount George was also contained and controlled in the afternoon.
There were no reports of injuries of property damage as a result of any of the bushfires.
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