Firefighters left the scene of a bushfire in Mutchilba at 9pm on Tuesday night
Firefighters have provided an update on the intense blaze that ravaged a farm on the Tablelands on Tuesday night. Read the latest.
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Firefighters evacuated the scene of a fire in the Tablelands on Tuesday after nearly 12 hours of active efforts to extinguish it.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) spokeswoman said at 9pm last night crews were released and left the area in the hands of landholders.
“No action was required overnight.”
At 10.45am on Tuesday, firies were called to Mutchilba near Mareeba after reports of a large fire breaking out in bushland close to a section of the Mareeba-Dimbulah Road.
A farmworker captured the moment a man fought the bushfire burning out of control on the Tablelands with a front end loader.
The live footage was posted to Yaj Dlar Rald’s facebook page at 2pm approximately four hours after the fire broke out.
In the videos smoke can be seen in the distance before another video shows a man using the front end loader to try and suppress flames in burning vegetation.
Mutchilba residents were urged to prepare to leave their homes on Tuesday as firefighters battle the fast-moving fire burning near Algoma Road travels towards Mutchilba Road.
Chris Ericson, who lives on a rural farming property at Mutchilba, said the fire had burnt through one of their paddocks and was continuing to move quickly.
“It is still moving westerly and is burning on two fronts,” she said at 3.15pm on Tuesday.
Ms Ericson who is with her husband, daughter, and grand daughter on the property said they were shocked by how fast the fire was moving.
“We were told the fire was on Algoma road and it wasn't long from when we could first see the smoke to when it hit our fields,” she said.
“It jumped the road into our paddock and is headed towards the creek where it will just go up because there is nowhere to get into to fight it.
“It’s pretty scary, we are just trying to do what we can.
“The wind must be gusting 30-40km an hour and it was here in no time.
“We were out moving our animals and my husband is out helping the fireys with trying to keep one of our sheds from burning, he has the pivot turned on and is fighting with a pod on the back of the Toyota.”
A QFES Spokesman provided an update on the fire at 6.30pm Tuesday night.
“At last report we had 18 crews working on the fire and they were preparing to complete a backburn on the western flank to contain the fire,” he said.
“The southern and eastern sides of the fire have now been contained.
“No structures have been lost in the fire after protection efforts.”
QFES bushfire warnings continued to issue warnings that some properties would be at risk and that the fire was likely to impact the community in the coming hours.
Burning embers may reach properties and residents are told to try and put them out with water quickly.
Police were on scene and several roads were closed.
A QPS spokeswoman confirmed that Mutchilba State School was notified and evacuated at 1.15pm.
Drivers were urged to avoid the area and residents advised to heed advice from emergency crews.
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Originally published as Firefighters left the scene of a bushfire in Mutchilba at 9pm on Tuesday night
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