Fire Damage Assessment in Adelaide
Fire damage assessment in Adelaide after house, shed or bushfire events, sampling soot, char, ash and, where scoped, PAH residues so owners, tenants and insurers have measured results on what the fire and its smoke left behind.
Adelaide Hills bushfires and the smoke that follows
The Adelaide Hills have a long fire history. The Department for Environment and Water records that the 1980 and 1983 Ash Wednesday fires burned large areas of the Hills, killing 14 people and destroying 119 homes in South Australia (DEW: Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges burns and bushfires). CFS records give Ash Wednesday II, in February 1983, an area of 200,000 hectares (CFS bushfire history).
More recently, the Cudlee Creek bushfire began on 20 December 2019 and burned 23,295 hectares through towns including Lobethal, Woodside and Mount Torrens. The department reports 85 homes destroyed (DEW: Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges burns and bushfires). Fires on this scale also send smoke and ash over homes the flames never reach. Our guide to bushfire season contamination covers getting ready before summer.
MFS, CFS and the questions after the fire is out
In South Australia, the Metropolitan Fire Service fights fires in metropolitan areas and the Country Fire Service covers regional areas (SA State Emergency Service: fire). The MFS was established in 1862, has its headquarters in the City of Adelaide and runs 20 metropolitan stations plus 17 in larger regional centres (MFS: who we are).
Once the trucks leave, the questions change. Owners want to know what residue is in rooms the fire did not touch, whether ducted air conditioning has carried soot through the house, and which contents are worth keeping. Those are sampling questions. Our pages on fire damage contamination assessment and contents salvage explain how they are approached.
SA Health warnings on ash, rubble and smoke
SA Health says bushfire smoke can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and that its fine particles can reach deep into the lungs and the bloodstream (SA Health: bushfire smoke and your health). After a bushfire, it warns that burnt houses, sheds and appliances can leave potential health hazards in rubble and ash. It notes that ash from burnt CCA-treated timber (treated timber often used in decking, pergolas, fencing and landscaping, according to SA Health) can contain up to 10% arsenic, copper and chromium by weight (SA Health: after a bushfire).
Those warnings explain why a visible clean-up is not the whole answer. Fine residue can settle on surfaces that look clean and collect in roof spaces and ducts. Sampling for soot, char and ash and, where scoped, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) shows where it remains. The PAH testing guide explains that part of the work.
Rented and insured homes after an Adelaide fire
For rentals, section 67A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 requires the landlord to make sure the premises meet South Australia's minimum housing standards by the day the tenant moves in. Those standards include the home being reasonably draught proof and weatherproof (Housing Improvement Regulations 2017, reg 15(i)). Tenancy disputes, including compensation claims and orders ending a tenancy, are heard by SACAT. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where an insurance claim is open, any party can commission the assessment, and the report is the same whoever pays. It gives results against a named criterion, not a list of items to replace. Cover, scope of works and replacement are matters for the insurer and owner. Whether a tribunal, court or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them. See fire damage and insurance claims.
Who books fire residue sampling in Adelaide
Common requests include:
- Hills households whose homes were smoke-affected by a nearby bushfire but not burnt
- owners after a kitchen, garage or shed fire at a suburban home
- landlords and tenants deciding whether a rental can be reoccupied after a fire next door
- insurers and loss adjusters wanting measured residue results before a scope of works
- owners checking results after cleaning by others, before moving back in
See the types of assessment work Test Australia carries out. If water used to fight the fire has soaked the building, a mould inspection in Adelaide may also be relevant.
What the Adelaide fire residue report states
Samples are taken from affected rooms and from less-affected areas for comparison, with chain-of-custody records. The samples are analysed by an independent laboratory, and the Adelaide fire report names the laboratory and states any accreditation that applies. Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited. Reports are available within 5 business days of the laboratory results being received.
Each result is reported against a named criterion, with the reason it was chosen and the limits of the sampling. Test Australia does not clean or remediate, so no clean-up contract shapes what the report says. The national fire damage assessment page sets out the approach. Request a fee proposal with the address and a short account of the fire.
How an Adelaide fire damage assessment runs
- Describe the fire. Tell us the address and date, whether it was a structure fire or bushfire smoke, which rooms are affected and what has been cleaned or removed since.
- Scope and written fee proposal. The proposal names the residues in scope, such as soot, char, ash or PAH, the areas to be sampled, the fee and the available dates.
- Sampling on site. Samples are taken where they help answer the question, including a comparison sample from a less-affected area.
- Laboratory analysis. Samples go under chain of custody to an independent laboratory for the analyses agreed in the proposal.
- Signed report. Reports are available within 5 business days of the laboratory results being received. Results are set against a named criterion, with limits stated.
Questions about fire damage assessment in Adelaide
My Adelaide Hills home only had smoke from a bushfire. Is sampling worthwhile?
It can be. Smoke and fine ash travel well beyond the fire front and can settle in roof spaces, ducts and soft furnishings. Sampling shows where residue is present before decisions are made about cleaning or contents. Leaving affected rooms as they are until the visit helps, because cleaning alters what can be measured.
What does SA Health say about ash after a bushfire in South Australia?
SA Health warns that after a bushfire, burnt houses, sheds and appliances can leave potential health hazards in rubble and ash. Ash from burnt CCA-treated timber, often used in decking, pergolas and fencing, can contain up to 10% arsenic, copper and chromium by weight. Sampling inside shows whether residue reached living areas.
Does it matter whether the MFS or CFS attended the fire at my Adelaide property?
Not for the assessment itself. In South Australia the MFS covers metropolitan areas and the CFS covers regional areas, and either may have attended. What matters for sampling is what burned, where the smoke travelled and what has been cleaned since. Mention any fire service report when you enquire.
Will the fire report for my Adelaide home list what must be replaced?
No. The report gives results for soot, char, ash and any PAH in scope against a named criterion. It does not prescribe replacement or cleaning. Decisions about cover, contents and the scope of works sit with the owner and the insurer, informed by measured results rather than appearance alone.
Can a South Australian tenant or landlord use a fire residue report at SACAT?
SACAT hears residential tenancy disputes, including compensation claims and orders ending a tenancy. A fire residue report records what was sampled and what the laboratory found, so both sides see the same evidence. Whether a tribunal, court or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can you test an Adelaide home again after fire cleaning by others?
Yes. Test Australia does not clean or remediate, so it can check work done by others. Sampling after cleaning targets the same residues and, where possible, the same locations as any earlier round, so the two reports compare like with like. The report states the criterion used and its limits.
Who analyses fire residue samples from Adelaide properties?
An independent laboratory analyses them. The Adelaide report names that laboratory and states any accreditation that applies to the analyses used. Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited. Suitably qualified occupational hygienists collect the samples and keep chain-of-custody records from the property to the laboratory.
How quickly is a fire damage report ready in Adelaide?
Reports are available within 5 business days of the laboratory results being received. If an insurer or tenant is waiting on the outcome, give us the deadline when you enquire so sampling can be scheduled around it. A written fee proposal with the scope and dates comes before any booking.
Other Adelaide services and fire guides
Reviewed for Test Australia by Dan Neil, Principal Occupational Hygienist and Chartered Chemist (MRACI CChem). Dan has 25 years in industrial chemistry and forensic science experience and has been a member of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists for more than 13 years. Last reviewed .
Need fire damage assessment in Adelaide?
Independent contamination testing. We test and report. We do not remediate.