Qld bushfires: Western Downs town of Tara refuses to waver
Stories of devastation and loss have begun to emerge from the fire-ravaged Western Downs, with a young mother telling of her dramatic escape followed by the grim discovery her home has been destroyed.
Emergency Services
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A young mother has told of the drama of her family’s midnight escape as a fast-moving bushfire approached, revealing their devastation upon discovering the scorched wasteland left in its wake.
At least 16 homes have been lost in the Western Downs as bushfires continue to rage across the region.
The small Western Downs community of Tara, with a population of just a few thousand, was on high alert on Wednesday as a fast-moving fire flanked the town, forcing many in outlying properties to evacuate.
The tight-knit community has already begun to band together as stories of devastation and loss emerge, including one man who has been left with just the clothes on his back.
Tara resident Taylah McKenzie and her partner Jason had to flee their home before it was left in ruins by the fire.
“It was scary to seeing it come in the glow so fast,’’ she said.
CCTV footage shows the moment the fire and thick black smoke consumed the property.
The family said they had only moments to flee as they left their house about midnight.
“As soon as we knew it was coming, a couple of minutes,” Ms McKenzie said.
“I already had the boxes and bags packed with clothes.”
The young mother said the ordeal was terrifying for herself and her young children.
“To have to wake them up and chuck them straight in the car,” she said.
The fire swept through Upper Humbug Road at Tara leaving a scorched wasteland.
Ms McKenzie’s partner made the heartbreaking call to her to say everything was gone.
“The block is burnt, darling, sorry,” he said.
“I tried to save it. I tried to save it.’’
But his Australian humour was not lost.
“Ah, my Hills Hoist is still alive. I’ll put that on f-----g eBay’’.
Other Tara locals say they won’t let their spirits waver despite an out-of-control bushfire threatening to devastate their town.
It’s not the first time the area has seen bushfires, but many say they have never seen a blaze so close to the township.
Some properties along Chinchilla Tara Rd, just a few kilometres from the town, have been destroyed, while powerlines and trees are burned to a crisp by the road.
“Gav” is among several Western Downs residents to be left with only the “clothes on his back” as fireys continue to navigate the “worst conditions in 40 years”
Phillip Shier has created a GoFundMe for his ‘Uncle Gav’, who “lost his family home (on Wednesday morning), in the wild fires” at Tara.
“This has been our family home for over 19 years,” Mr Shier said.
“There is nothing left from this devastating tragedy.
“Uncle Gav only has the clothes on his back and his dog.
“We have lost more than just a house, this was our home.
“We lost a few 4 legged friends, our memories and everything in between.”
The Shier family are hoping to raise money for accommodation, clothing, food and “anything else that could help along the long road of rebuilding”.
While other residents, who excavated earlier this week, have taken to social media for any updates on whether their homes had also been destroyed.
Dozens of concerned residents attended a meeting at Tara Shire State College where they were warned of possible catastrophe.
It is understood several residents in Tara and Wieambilla were not prepared to evacuate.
But many residents chose to remain, saying they would wait until they were told to leave by authorities.
Others had made arrangements for their children to leave while they stayed.
Evacuees fleeing to Dalby caused line-ups at one of the two local fuel stations. Some had their cars packed to the roof with belongings as they drove out of town.
Other residents approached fire fighters asking how they could help, some have been working around the clock to feed those on the frontline.
Tayla Shaw and Jennifer Hallinan, who both grew up in Tara, have been working long hours catering for volunteers.
“We’ve been very busy catering for all the firefighters and all the evacuation centres, we are doing 12-hour days,” Ms Shaw said.
“We’ve had bushfires but nothing this close to town.
“Where do you start? What do you even pack? We’ve never been in this situation before.
There’s lots of people around here who have experienced this and they’ve been through this, but us in town, we haven’t.”
They both took time out of their work days to attend the community meeting and listen to the warnings.
“It’s very emotional and it’s quite scary,” Ms Hallinan said, holding back tears. I’ll stay at this stage and hope the wretched wind goes away.”
St Joseph’s schoolteacher Monica Moran said she felt compelled to help the firefighters in some way after attending the community meeting in Tara.
Most of her students had already evacuated the area to Dalby and on Wednesday just 16 students out of more than 40 came to school.
Her class drew a handmade “Thank you” sign for the emergency services, which was pinned to the school fence.
“We just wanted to show our appreciation,” she said.
Fire bans: What you need to know
Under a local fire ban all open fires are prohibited and all Permits to Light Fire which have been issued in the designated areas have been suspended for the duration of the ban.
Power tools may be used during a local fire ban however QFES encourages people to use these with extreme care and ensure adequate equipment is available to extinguish any fire which may start.
This may include having a person available to watch out for any ignitions that occur.
There are 53 out of 77 local government areas with a current total fire ban, covering 69 per cent of the state.
The below LGAs have active bans until Friday October 27 at 11:59pm
Maranoa Regional
Mckinlay Shire
Toowoomba Regional
Balonne Shire
Cloncurry Shire
Southern Downs Regional
Diamantina Shire
Mt Isa City
Western Downs Regional
Boulia Shire
Goondiwindi Regional
Carpentaria Shire
Burke Shire
The below LGAs have active bans until Saturday October 28 at 11:59pm
Richmond Shire
Flinders Shire
Charters Towers Regional
The below LGAs have active bans until Monday October 30 at 11:59pm
Cook Shire
Bundaberg Regional
North Burnett Regional
Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire
Cassowary Coast Regional
Croydon Shire
Torres Shire
Douglas Shire
Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire
Northern Peninsula Area Regional Shire
Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire
Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire
Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire
Torres Strait Island Regional
Weipa Town
Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire
Mareeba Shire
Napranum Aboriginal Shire
Gympie Regional
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire
Tablelands Regional
South Burnett Regional
Aurukun Shire
Mapoon Aboriginal Shire
Etheridge Shire
Cairns Regional
Fraser Coast Regional
The below LGAs have active bans until Wednesday November 1 at 11:59pm
Blackall Tambo Regional
Barcaldine Regional
Winton Shire
Banana Shire
Whitsunday Regional
Rockhampton Regional
Longreach Regional
Barcoo Shire
Mackay Regional
Livingstone Regional
Gladstone Regional
Isaac Regional
Central Highlands Regional
What to do in the path of a bushfire
– If you have a bushfire survival plan, follow it now.
– Prepare now so you can leave quickly if the bushfire gets close:
– Decide where you and the people you live with will go. This could be with family or a friend away from the fire. Plan how you will get there. Tell others where you will go.
– Charge mobile phones and power banks.
– Be ready to take your pets, pet food, pet lead or crate/carrier.
– Pack a bag with a mobile phone charger, enough clothes for five days, important documents (like ID, insurance papers, passports and photos), medicine, cash and keys.
– If you do not drive, call your support service, a family member or a friend to organise transport if you need to leave or want to leave.
– If you find it hard to move quickly, leaving now is your safest option.
– Keep medications close by.
– Move flammable items away from your house if you can.
– Help others if it’s safe to do so.
– Watch out for firefighters working in the area.
– Do not fly drones around the fire. Drones affect air operations.
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