Adelaide Hills residents describe Cherry Gardens 'firestorm' that forced many to seek shelter

ABC News 25 January 2021

As residents in the area of the Cherry Gardens bushfire begin to count the cost of the blaze that ripped through their properties, one local has described how her family was forced to take refuge in a cellar amid the "firestorm".

The Cherry Gardens fire, which started yesterday in extreme conditions, is still burning in an area south-east of Adelaide, and some on social media have likened the sight of the blaze to a "volcano".

Jessica Jones's Mount Bold Road property came under threat from the fire last night.

Her two young sons took shelter in the family's cellar while she and her adult daughter used fire hoses to protect the home, and her husband protected the border of the property.

She said she was relieved when her husband emerged from the smoke.

Ms Jones said the family managed to save their animals. "We built our house, and so we built it to be defendable and are very thankful that we planned an underground component," she said.

Many Adelaide Hills residents in the emergency zone spent the night at Mount Barker Oval, which is a bushfire refuge point. Click here to read the full article.