A family of four have escaped a boat fire on the Murray River north-east of Adelaide last night.
Key points:
- Extreme fire danger warnings are in place for much of SA
- A family has jumped to safety from a boat fire near Blanchetown
- A Renmark house has been damaged in a fire
The Country Fire Service (CFS) was called to Paisley, near Blanchetown, about 7:00pm with reports the family had jumped off the boat while it was still burning.
The father was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with minor burns.
Also in the state’s Riverland, fire investigators will travel to Renmark today to determine the cause of a house fire early this morning.
Crews were called to the blaze at the recently vacated house on Kurrajong Avenue about 4:00am.
The fire was brought under control within an hour, with the initial estimated cost of damage about $200,000.
And police have arrested one teenage boy and are looking for another after a grass fire at Flinders University about midnight.
Security spotted two people in the area and a police dog located house keys with a tag with an address on it.
A 17-year-old boy who police say matched the security guard’s description turned up and was arrested.
He was charged with causing a bushfire. Police are still looking for another boy.
Fire danger warnings
Total fire bans are in place in much of South Australia today with temperatures in some parts of the state forecast to reach the low 40s.
An extreme fire danger warning is forecast for the lower south-east, while severe fire danger warnings are in place for the rest of the state, excluding the northern pastoral districts.
While there are no catastrophic fire danger warnings, CFS state duty commander Brenton Hastie warned against complacency in the heat, strong winds and dry conditions.
“We had a slower start to the fire season this year, but we’re now into January.
“The fuel is now completely cured, which means fires have the potential to burn at their maximum.”
Pool chemical explosion
Also last night, the CFS responded to a small explosion in a pool shed at Humbug Scrub.
The service said it happened after a man added two different types of chlorine tablets to the system.
He was transported to hospital after having a reaction to the exposure.
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