Expected hotter and drier conditions across South Australia means the Fire Danger Season will be brought forward by two weeks for Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island and Adelaide Metropolitan districts, highlighting the increased fire danger risks facing South Australians this bushfire season.

Fire bans will start two weeks early, on Friday 15 November, demonstrating the high-risk bushfire season facing landowners and residents and need to prepare now. Forecast higher temperatures, dry conditions, below average rainfall and landscapes curing faster than usual during spring are key factors behind the decision. 

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) says the decision to bring forward the Fire Danger Season in these districts was done in consultation with local Bushfire Management Committees and serves as a strong indicator of the importance of everyone being ‘bushfire ready’ this year.

The CFS has launched its annual Be Bushfire Ready Campaign today, with a strong focus on simplifying the steps all South Australians need to take when preparing for the bushfire season.

“Whether you live, work, or travel through a bushfire risk area, it is critical that all South Australians are prepared for the upcoming Fire Danger Season and know what to do if a bushfire starts near them,” says Chief Officer Brett Loughlin AFSM.

"Preparing for the bushfire season is a shared responsibility – CFS staff and volunteers dedicate months of training to be ready to protect their communities and are urging everyone to do their bit by getting their properties and bushfire plans ready."  

This season’s heightened bushfire risk, as well as below-average fire activity in South Australia over the past few years, have prompted warnings against a rise in complacency after recent fire danger seasons.

Latest CFS research shows more than half of residents living in a bushfire risk area are aware they are underprepared for the bushfire season but have not taken active steps to address this – reinforcing the significant risk that complacency poses.  

CFS volunteers are central to the Be Bushfire Ready campaign, which features new videos and materials outlining steps South Australians need to take ahead of the bushfire season including preparing their properties, creating their Bushfire Survival Plans, packing their emergency kits and checking the fire danger ratings daily.

Messaging will target those living, working and travelling through bushfire risk areas, using digital, broadcast, print and social media to reach a wide audience.

South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Chief Officer Jeff Swann says the MFS encourages all South Australians to know their risk and prepare their homes and families ahead of this Fire Danger Season.

“Many South Australians living on the outskirts of Adelaide mistakenly believe they are not in a bushfire risk area, but these fires can have devastating effects in their communities,” he says.

“During a bushfire, embers can travel kilometres ahead of the fire and can cause most houses to catch fire when sparks or burning embers settle on or around your home.

“It is essential for residents living on the outskirts of Adelaide, Adelaide Hills and larger country towns to plan and prepare for what they will do when a bad fire day approaches – including where they will go, when they will leave, what they will take.”

Greater awareness of warnings through the CFS website and downloading the Alert SA app to stay informed will be another important part of the campaign. More information is available a cfs.sa.gov.au/bushfire-ready.

Be Bushfire Ready 2024 campaign assets are also available online. 

2024/25 Fire Danger Season dates

Adelaide Metropolitan Area: 15 November 2024 – 30 April 2025 (early start)*

Eastern Eyre: 15 October 2024 - 15 April 2025 (early start)

Flinders: 15 October 2024 - 15 April 2025

Kangaroo Island: 15 November 2024 – 30 April 2025 (early start)

Lower Eyre Peninsula: 15 November 2024 - 15 April 2025

Lower South East: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025 (early start)

Mid North: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025

Mount Lofty Ranges: 15 November 2024 – 30 April 2025 (early start)*

Murraylands: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025 

North East Pastoral: 15 October 2024 - 31 March 2025

North West Pastoral: 15 October 2024 - 31 March 2025

Riverland: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025

Upper South East: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025 (early start)

West Coast: 15 October 2024 - 15 April 2025

Yorke Peninsula: 1 November 2024 - 30 April 2025