Incident update for the Almond shell and husk fire at Pike River for Thursday 10 September

CFS are still on scene at a large almond shell and husk fire that has been burning in multiple large mounds since around 8am Sunday 6 September.

These piles are periodically causing smoke to drift across the townships of Loxton and Renmark.

The property owners have been working closely with the fire services since Sunday to provide machinery and resources to break apart the burning piles and extinguish the fire.

Due to the quantity and nature of the almond byproducts involved, this fire will burn for some time. This fire however does not currently pose a risk to the community.

The cause of the fire has been investigated and was likely caused by spontaneous combustion affected by weather within a mound of almond product, which ignited at around 8am on Sunday.

Initial estimates are that around $4million of assets and product have been lost, however around $43 million of assets and products have been saved. The support of local contractors and adjoining farms has been critical to the success so far.

2020-09-10 Kathy Baklan