Former Oakbank Racing Club chairman John Glatz, who suffered critical burns in the Cudlee Creek bushfire, is now awake and in a stable condition at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, his friend has confirmed.

Key points: Mr Glatz suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body while defending his home in the Adelaide Hills

Mr Glatz suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body while defending his home in the Adelaide Hills The racing community has rallied around the popular figure

The racing community has rallied around the popular figure He has now emerged from an induced coma, with a friend saying his first request was for a beer

Mr Glatz was rushed to hospital more than a fortnight ago after sustaining the injuries while trying to defend his Adelaide Hills home and horses from the Cudlee Creek inferno.

The 73-year-old has burns to 60 per cent of his body and was left "fighting for his life" as a result of the deadly fire which claimed the life of 69-year-old Charleston man Ron Selth.

Mr Selth's body was found at his property the day after the fire broke out, while Mr Glatz has been in an induced coma at the hospital's intensive care unit.

Fellow horse trainer John Hickmott said he was overjoyed when he heard, through the racing community, of his long-time friend's progress.

"They just said he's alert and he's awake, they got the tubes out and he's speaking," Mr Hickmott said.

"The first thing they said was 'would you like a drink of water?' and he said 'I'd rather a beer'. When he said that, you know he's in good spirits."

The Cudlee Creek blaze spread rapidly after breaking out in catastrophic conditions. ( ABC News: Chris McLoughlin )

Mr Hickmott said his friend had shown remarkable spirit by pulling through.

"When you get the amount of burns that he was supposed to have, it's pretty hard for a man his age to fight that off," he said.

"Someone did say that he is a tough old bugger, if anyone can get out of this, he will and he has which is amazing."

Racing club offers 'heartfelt thank you' to Hills community

The Oakbank Racing Club previously offered its thoughts and prayers to the "much-loved committee member, John Glatz and his family".

"Oakbank Racing Club is working to support the community impacted by the fires," it said.

The Adelaide Hills is a popular region for horse owners and the town of Oakbank hosts a jumps racing event each Easter.

The fire prompted a major effort to save as much as the region's livestock as possible.

The Oakbank Racing Club yesterday posted a "heartfelt thank you" on Facebook to residents who had donated time and effort to delivering stock feed.

"Amongst the devastation of the fires over the past couple of weeks, it was wonderful to see the community band together," the club said.

Hills resident Annie Whicker with her horse Silvah after escaping the Cudlee Creek blaze. ( ABC News: Patrick Martin )

More than 80 homes were destroyed in the Cudlee Creek fire, which was not contained until a week ago — more than 11 days after breaking out.

It has been followed by other devastating blazes including on Kangaroo Island, where a father and son were killed after fighting the fires.

Thousands of livestock died in a bushfire at Keilira in the state's south-east which burnt through almost 25,000 hectares.

Communities have begun the arduous task of rebuilding, and are doing their best to encourage tourists to visit the regions to help local economies.