$150m class action lawsuit over Adelaide Hills bushfire

Almost 1000 people have joined a class-action lawsuit against SA Power Networks, claiming $150 million in damages following the devastating Adelaide Hills bushfires last year.

Woodside man Kris Thrower, who is still haunted by the devastation of December 20, is one of them.

"The constant anxiety, once this sort of thing's happened in your life, the anxiety's massive," Mr Thrower said.

READ MORE: SA bushfire leaves path of destruction

"You just find you can't relax beyond it, you can't stop thinking about it."

A 24-metre tree fell on high-voltage conductors, sparking the fire that tore through 25,000 hectares, claiming the life of Ron Selth and destroying more than 80 homes.

Lawyers argue the energy distributors fault protection settings on that day were inadequate.

"That device should've been set to its absolutely most sensitive setting, so that if any fault was detected, the whole line was immediately de-energised," lawyer Brendan Pendergast said.

READ MORE: Video shows firefighters driving through blaze

In a statement, SA Power Networks said it was yet to see the detail of the claim, but will defend its actions, and that the tree in question was outside the vegetation clearance zone – that finding made in a state government investigation into the fire.

Despite this, lawyers believe they have a strong case.

"That power line and that protection device ought to have been adjusted so that couldn't have happened," Mr Pendergast said.