SA bushfire zones: What homeowners must do before summer arrives

Homeowners living in bushfires zones must reduce fuel loads now in order to keep their families and properties safe for summer, the Country Fire Service has said, with one local resident warning those who have been unaffected for some time to not become complacent.

Country Fire Service community, risk and resilience acting director Leah Bertholini, 48, said while this upcoming bushfire season didn’t look like being more concerning than usual, people needed to be prepared for the worst, should that eventuate.

Lyndon May tidying up around his property in Cudlee Creek. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“We’ve had some good spring rainfall, so things are still green, and that may be making people a bit complacent about their preparation, but that’s actually going to dry out pretty quickly now and we’re going to have some warm weather in November and December, some warm winds, so that curing’s going to happen pretty quickly.

“People need to be mindful about how they’re going to clear that vegetation and tidy up before summer hits and its too late.

“They should be well under way with their preparation.”

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She said homeowners should remove all combustibles within 1.5m of their house, maintain pathways around the house, remove winter firewood stores from near the house, and seal gaps around tiles and windows that may be susceptible to ember attack.

“If a fire hits and it’s too late to leave, a well-prepared home is the safest place to be,” she said.

“Your plan shouldn’t be ‘we just won’t be here’, your plan should be ‘we better prepare in case we need to take shelter here’.”

Fire crews contain a bushfire at Sampson Flat after the threat posed by the blaze was downgraded from a Watch and Act warning. Picture: 7NEWS

Her warnings hit home for many – the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfire destroyed 383 SA homes, the 2015 Sampson Flat bushfire up to 38, and the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfire 85.

Cudlee Creek resident Lyndon May, 54, lost two sheds and burnt up to his home’s veranda and said fuel reduction was the first line of defence.

“Unfortunately when the grass starts to grow and we get the warmer weather it grows quickly,” he said.

Lindon and Rachel May tidying up around their property in Cudlee Creek. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“So from one week to the next you could go from quite safe to all of a sudden having some considerable growth, so the buzz of lawnmowers and whipper-snippers has been going for probably a month now and then you’ll hear them come again as the regrowth happens, especially with the moisture we’ve just had, so it’s just that ongoing preparedness.

“Five years is a long time since the last time, and its important people stay prepared and keep up to date.”

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Jules Kemenyvary established a community bushfire “phone tree” in Cudlee Creek – where neighbours pass on updates about fires they have observed, sometimes 20 minutes before an official notification is released – after moving up to the Hills from the suburbs in 2012.

She said it was important those who made a treechange into a bushfire area during the Covid boom understood the risks and were prepared for them.

Flames burn right next to the South Eastern Freeway near Hahndorf, during the Ash Wednesday bushfire of 1983. Pic by staff photographer Tony Lewis

“It’s not just about keeping themselves and their properties safe, its about keeping abreast of what’s going on as its unfolding and making the decision to go if they need to,” she said.

“It is absolutely imperative that they know what to do and how to communicate that with others at the time.

“For those with animals, they need to have a plan and do a run through of what’s going to happen in the event of a fire.”

Adelaide Metropolitan and Mount Lofty Ranges districts’ fire season starts on December 1, while Kangaroo Island’s started yesterday.

What to do now to make your property bushfire-ready

* Clean out gutters

* Clear up dried leaves

* Reduce vegetation within 20m of your home – ie. mowing, brushcutting, slashing

* Fill in gaps around the home where embers might enter or catch

* Remove dead branches leaves and undergrowth from around the home, especially under trees.

* Prune tree limbs less than 2m from the ground, or overhanging your home

remove vegetation within 5m or any sheds or garages.

* Make sure your hoses are lone enough to reach around your home

* Plant lower flammability vegetation with low oil and high water and salt content.

* Check and service all mechanical equipment, including grass cutters, water pumps, sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers.

* Prepare / check your emergency kit.

* Review, update and practise your Bushfire Survival Plan.

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