Eleven districts across South Australia face Extreme Fire Danger Ratings
08/01/2026
The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) is urging South Australians to remain vigilant with severe fire weather forecast across parts of the state tomorrow.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting Extreme Fire Danger Ratings for:
- West Coast
- Eastern Eyre Peninsula
- Lower Eyre Peninsula
- Flinders
- Mid North
- Mount Lofty Ranges
- Yorke Peninsula
- Riverland
- Murraylands
- Upper South East
- Lower South East
Should a fire start tomorrow, it is likely to spread quickly and be extremely dangerous and difficult to control.
The community should check their Bushfire Survival Plan and ensure their property is ready. If they are not prepared, they should leave early and go to a safer location before a fire starts.
Fire agencies across Australia are dealing with significant fire weather, and similar challenging conditions are forecast to continue for the rest of the week.
Deputy State Controller Fire-HazMat Paul Seager thanked the community for their vigilance as South Australia experiences its first widespread period of Extreme fire danger for the season.
'I want to thank the community for the care they are taking during these conditions. This is the first large-scale period of Extreme fire danger we have seen this season, and those actions make a real difference,' Deputy State Controller Seager said.
'We are asking people to delay any activities that could start a fire and, where possible, wait until conditions are milder.'
'While a cool change is expected tomorrow evening, the day will remain high risk, and we ask the public to continue avoiding any risky activities until conditions improve.'
Bureau of Meteorology Emergency Services Meteorologist Chris Kent said hot and windy conditions will continue, particularly across inland areas, with a cool change not expected until later on Friday.
'Despite this change, dangerous fire conditions may remain for several hours, and the risk of fast-moving fires will continue,' Mr Kent said.
'Isolated dry and gusty thunderstorms are also possible on Friday, which may increase the risk for fire ignition.'
'Conditions are expected to ease from Saturday, with cooler temperatures forecast across the state.'
With strong winds forecast across much of South Australia on Friday, the State Emergency Service (SES) is urging the public to be aware of the increased risk of falling trees and dropped limbs over the coming days.
'We ask everyone to be mindful of where they seek shade and where they park their vehicles, and to avoid camping or sitting under large trees during windy conditions,' said SES Chief of Staff Ben Birbeck.
'While temperatures are expected to fall over the next few days, heat-related illness remains a serious risk. We encourage people to stay hydrated, keep cool where possible, avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day, and check on friends, family, neighbours and pets.'
In preparation for the forecast severe fire weather, CFS has 35 aerial firefighting assets on standby in key strategic locations across the state, including two extra Black Hawks at Parafield Airport.
The recent fire at Kanmantoo in the Murraylands earlier this week was a timely reminder of how quickly fires can start and spread under extreme conditions. Early aerial support assisted ground crews in slowing the fire and preventing it from spreading to the nearby highway.
The community is encouraged to subscribe to warnings on the CFS website and ensure the Alert SA app is installed on their mobile device, with watch zones set up and push notifications enabled so they can receive bushfire warnings for their area.
For more information about the Fire Danger Ratings and Total Fire Bans, visit the CFS website at www.cfs.sa.gov.au
