2015 Pinery bushfire

2015 Pinery bushfire
Pinery Fire Memorial, Grace Plains
Date(s)25 November 2015 (2015-11-25) – 2 December 2015 (2015-12-02)
LocationLower Mid North, Light River and west Barossa, South Australia, Australia
Coordinates34°18′36″S 138°25′26″E / 34.31000°S 138.42389°E / -34.31000; 138.42389
(ignition point)
Statistics[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Burned areaMore than 85,000 hectares (210,000 acres)
Land use
  • Residential
  • Farmland
  • Forest reserves
Impacts
Deaths2
Non-fatal injuries90; including 5 critical
Structures destroyed470+;
  • 91 houses
  • 388 non-residential structures
  • 98 vehicles
  • 93 items of farm machinery
DamageA$170 million
Ignition
CauseCar battery left in paddock
Map
2015 Pinery bushfire is located in South Australia
2015 Pinery bushfire
Location of the ignition starting point of the bushfire, in South Australia

The 2015 Pinery bushfire was a bushfire that burned from 25 November to 2 December 2015, and primarily affected the Lower Mid North and west Barossa Valley regions immediately north of Gawler in the Australian state of South Australia. At least 86,000 hectares (210,000 acres) of scrub and farmland in the council areas of Light, Wakefield, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, and Mallala were burned during its duration.[7][8]

On 25 November, during the major run of the Pinery fire, two fatalities occurred; Janet Hughes, 56, perished while fleeing in a vehicle outside Hamley Bridge; Allan Tiller, 69, perished while fighting the fire on a neighbour's property in Pinery itself.[9][10][11] A further 90 people were hospitalized as a result of the fire, with five of the victims suffering critical injuries.[6]

The Pinery fire destroyed or rendered uninhabitable 91 houses, and completely destroyed 388 non-residential structures, 93 pieces of farm machinery and 98 other vehicles.[12][13][14][15] It also caused significant damage to rural produce; 53,000 poultry and 17,500 head of livestock perished and up to A$40 million worth of fodder and unharvested grains were destroyed.[1][6][15][16][17] Communities affected by the fire included Barabba, Daveyston, Freeling, Greenock, Hamley Bridge, Kapunda, Magdala, Mallala, Nain, Nuriootpa, Owen, Pinery, Pinkerton Plains, Redbanks, Roseworthy, Stockport, Tarlee, Templers, Wasleys and Woolsheds.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference abc-ll-mar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Warnings and Incidents". SA Country Fire Service. Government of South Australia. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015. PORT LORNE ROAD, PINERY Grass Fire; First Reported: Wednesday, 25 Nov 2015 12:05:00; Status: GOING; Region: 2
  3. ^ "Pinery fire – Nov 2015". Government of South Australia. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Live blog: SA fires". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  5. ^ Elizabeth Henson; Lauren Novak (1 December 2015). "Pinery bushfire: Emergency radio system failed at height of blaze, trapping firefighters". Adelaide Advertiser. News Corp. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Lauren Novak; Doug Robertson (28 November 2015). "Clean-up of Pinery fire ground begins, with 450 insurance claims lodged to value of $61 million". Adelaide Advertiser. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Pinery Fire – Situation Map – 1900 hrs 25/11/2015 – CFS". cfs.sa.gov.au. Country Fire Service. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ^ Sam Duluk, Member for Davenport (3 December 2015). "Pinery Bushfires – Grievance Debate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). South Australia: House of Assembly.
  9. ^ Jade Gailberger; Doug Robertson; Jordanna Schriever (26 November 2015). "Pinery bushfire victims identified as Janet Hughes and Allan Tiller". Adelaide Advertiser. News Corp. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  10. ^ "SA bushfire: Allan Tiller identified as 69yo victim killed in Pinery fire". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. ^ "SA bushfire: Hamley Bridge community mourns Janet Hughes, who helped provide firestorm refuge". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  12. ^ McLoughlin, Chris (19 December 2015). "Pinery bushfire: Tally of homes destroyed rises to 91 as SA Govt prepares to hand out first relief payments". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  13. ^ "SA bushfire: 77 homes confirmed destroyed in deadly blaze as threat eases". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  14. ^ "SA bushfire: 87 homes destroyed or damaged in deadly Pinery blaze, Premier confirms". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  15. ^ a b Jay Weatherill, Member for Cheltenham, Premier of South Australia (1 December 2015). "Pinery Bushfires – Ministerial Statement". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). South Australia: House of Assembly.
  16. ^ James, Colin (27 November 2015). "Pinery Fire: Country Fire Service declares fire is contained as residents confront widespread devastation". Adelaide Advertiser. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  17. ^ Whiting, Natalie (1 December 2015). "SA bushfire: Farmers hit by fires face years of land rehabilitation after $40m worth of crops lost". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 May 2016.