Investigations have begun into the causes of two separate fires — one at an Adelaide Hills winery, the other at an agricultural research centre in South Australia's south-east — each of which has caused more than $2 million worth of damage.
On Saturday afternoon, Country Fire Service (CFS) crews were called to a blaze in a large warehouse at Normans Wines near Clarendon at Chandlers Hill.
"The fire caused in excess of $2 million damage to the warehouse and its contents," the CFS said.
"The cause … is unknown and fire cause investigators have been requested to attend the scene."
About 35 CFS firefighters and nine appliances battled the blaze.
On Friday night, an agricultural research site south of Naracoorte was largely destroyed by a fire that started around midnight.
Police attended the Struan Research Centre after an alarm was triggered, and saw smoke and flames coming from a building.
About 30 CFS firefighters battled the inferno, stopping it from spreading to the nearby historic Struan House, which dates back to 1875.
But the research centre itself, which is run by the state government's South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) for crop and livestock studies, could not be saved.
"Fire crews found the research centre and laboratories engulfed in flames upon arrival," the CFS said.
"Unfortunately, the fire caused the ceiling of the structure to collapse and ultimately caused in excess of $2 million damage to the research centre.
"Crews ensured that the historic Struan House was totally unaffected by the fire."
The property runs along the Riddoch Highway, and investigations into the cause of the blaze have been complicated by the presence of hundreds of litres of formaldehyde.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, and earlier said fire cause investigators from Adelaide would examine the scene.
The CFS said HazMat crews would determine when the site was safe for that to occur.
SARDI falls under the authority of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), which said it was still assessing the "overall impacts to operations".
"The building housed inventory for the property along with research and electrical equipment," PIRSA said in a statement.
"PIRSA is thankful no-one was injured and that CFS crews were able to respond as quickly as they did to prevent the fire spreading to other buildings on the property."
A third fire in a shed on a commercial site near McLaren Flat on Saturday morning caused approximately $200,000 damage, including to a vehicle and forklift.
