Whitsundays’ fire risks Eden Lassie agave farm, shuts highway

A Whitsundays’ farm manager has slammed the person who reportedly ignored a fire ban to ignite a raging inferno that shut the highway and needed more than 20 crews to bring it under control.

A Whitsundays’ farm manager has slammed the person who reportedly ignored a fire ban to ignite a raging inferno that shut the highway.

A Whitsundays’ farm manager has slammed the person who reportedly ignored a fire ban to ignite a raging inferno that required more than 20 crews to bring it under control.

The blaze came within metres of the 380ha Eden Lassie farm south of Bowen which is only months away from turning its thousands of agaves into a liquor to rival Mexico’s tequila.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokeswoman said the fire began in a backyard shortly before 11am on Saturday with the first firefighting crew arriving on scene at 11.20am.

The fire spread across the Gregory River with property owners along Gordon Glen Rd, Eden Lassie Rd, Bridsons Rd and Jocheim Rd issued a warning they should prepare to leave.

A grass fire that started south of a famous agave farm was stopped at the creek as firefighter and volunteers battled the fire via backburning. Picture: Contributed

Eden Lassie farm manager Chris Monsour joined the effort to control the blaze which had reached the crop’s eastern boundary at Greta Creek.

Mr Monsour said the farm was “unscathed” but it was a “crazy, unnecessary situation” for someone to light a fire under a fire ban when the “weather conditions were pretty bad”.

“It should never have occurred,” the Prospect Agriculture scientist said.

A grass fire that started south of a famous agave farm was stopped at the creek as firefighter and volunteers battled the fire via backburning. Picture: Contributed

He said firefighters and volunteers backburner to control the fire and keep it from crossing the creek and reaching the farm.

The QFES spokeswoman said the grass fire had moved fast on both sides of the Bruce Highway and required a mix of Fire Rescue and Rural Fire Services’ vehicles and aircraft to contain it.

A grass fire that started south of a famous agave farm was stopped at the creek as firefighter and volunteers battled the fire via backburning. Picture: Contributed

It is understood the blaze started at a property about 5km south of the Eden Lassie farm after someone burned leaves in their yard and it grew out of control.

This was despite a total fire ban being in place across the region from Thursday, October 6 to Wednesday, November 1, as infernos wreak havoc across Queensland.

Mr Monsour explained the fire had not posed much risk to the farm as agaves were farm resistant and unlikely to be “badly affected”.

A grass fire that started south of a famous agave farm was stopped at the creek as firefighter and volunteers battled the fire via backburning. Picture: Contributed

“There’s not enough vegetation on the farm, so we weren’t concerned about getting things out of control … because we knew that it was just not going to burn like (other plants),” he said.

“In places like South California people plant agave and succulents around their house as a barrier to fire.”

The QFES spokeswoman said the fire was contained by 2.20am Sunday and crews left the scene at 10am the next morning.

The Bruce Highway had been closed in both directions and did not reopen until about 8.30pm Saturday.

Mr Monsour said eight people helped them fight the fire at Greta Creek, with neighbours volunteering as well.

“We have equipment here on the farm, … the local fire warden, he also has some fire fighting equipment and all the people on properties around here usually have some of their own,” he said.

“If someone has a fire, everyone else sort of tries to pitch in.”