Community vigilance urged ahead of Very High fire danger weather on Monday, 24th of May

Community vigilance urged ahead of Very High fire danger weather on Monday, 24th of May

The CFS is warning the community to expect Very High fire danger weather across parts of the state on Monday.

State Duty Commander, Brett Loughlin says that while the forecast conditions don't warrant Total Fire Bans, the community still needs to remain vigilant,

"Last week we saw a fire that escalated to Watch and Act at Gould Creek. Parts of the state are extremely dry and while we might experience hot weather, the dry fuels and wind will be enough to see a fire quickly catch and take off."

SDC Loughlin is encouraging everyone to check that any burn offs or campfires are fully extinguished today, and to hold off any risky behaviours such as using angle grinders or sparking cutting tools,

"We won't have formal bans in place but we still need the community to ensure they are playing to the conditions. If you're going to be using any sparking machinery, make sure you have plenty of extinguishing agents on hand."

"If you're planning to conduct a burn off on Monday, assess your local situation and, if possible, wait the wind calms down."

Tom Boeck, Senior Meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology, says that while this level of Fire Danger is rare in May, it's a result of the extremely dry Autumn the state has experienced,

"Over the last three months, we have seen below average rainfall, causing fuels across parts of the state to remain very dry.

"Our modelling suggests that rainfall may be slightly above average over winter, but until we get significant rain parts of the state will remain at risk of high and very high Fire Danger Weather."

Rainfall forecast over parts of the state on Tuesday will see the immediate Fire Danger threat subside.

Further information:

Contact the Bushfire Information Hotline on 1800 362 361, for hearing or speech impaired users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 1800 362 361 or teletype service TTY 133 677 then ask for 1800 362 361.

Other options are available at National Relay Service.

Or visit www.cfs.sa.gov.au