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)
Location	Lower Mid North, Light River and west Barossa, South Australia, Australia
Coordinates	34°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 area	More than 85,000 hectares (210,000 acres)
Land use	Residential Farmland Forest reserves
Impacts
Deaths	2
Non-fatal injuries	90; including 5 critical
Structures destroyed	470+; 91 houses 388 non-residential structures 98 vehicles 93 items of farm machinery
Damage	A$170 million
Ignition
Cause	Car battery left in paddock
Map
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.