South Australia, November 2015

Pinery fire, 2015

Quick Statistics

2 Fatalities
61 million Insurance Costs
91 Homes Destroyed

Around midday on 25 November 2015, the Pinery fire started in the lower Mid-North wheat belt, approximately 70 kilometres north of Adelaide. With high winds and in open wheat fields, the fire moved very quickly, with a speed not seen in previous fires.

The fire initially moved in a south-easterly direction from Pinery, propelled by the strong winds. A south-westerly change in the afternoon of 25 November transformed the eastern flank of the fire into a new fire front, burning in an easterly direction towards the Barossa Valley. 

The Piney fire burnt an estimated total of 82,500 hectares; most of the destruction took place on the first day. Two lives were lost, along with thousands of livestock. The fire destroyed approximately 91 homes and damaged numerous others. Many townships were affected, including Pinery, Mallala, Wasleys, Roseworthy, Freeling, Hamley Bridge, Daveyston, Grenock and Kapunda.

More than 1,700 firefighters responded to the fire, supported by Victorian fire authorities.

Coverage of the Pinery fire

The Pinery fire was a fast moving grass fire. The following videos from YouTube provide some insights to what the community and firefighters experienced on the front line.

Pinery Fire | 9 News Adelaide

Pinery Fire image compilation

Pinery Fire: before and after

Sources

Noetic Solutions 2016, South Australian Country Fire Service Project Pinery: Findings of the Project Pinery Review including the Lessons and Action Plan, April 2016. 
Parliament of South Australia: Natural Resources Committee 2016, Pinery fire regional fact-finding trip, tabled in the House of Assembly 5 July 2016. At: http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/HouseofAssembly/BusinessoftheAssembly/RecordsandPapers/TabledPapersandPetitions/Pages/TabledPapersandPetitions.aspx?tpso=y&tpsd=0&TPSelectedView=2&TPProperties=539&TPParliamentSession=53%2C2