Bushfire Crisis: Defence on alert as danger grows
Thousands of troops are on standby as Queensland braces for two days of horror fire conditions. Authorities fear the worst as scorching temperatures and powerful winds threaten to fuel bushfire catastrophe.
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FIRES west of Brisbane and as far north as Rockhampton will be on the radar of authorities today with temperatures in the high 30s and the chance of two bushfires merging into one.
A serious fire has been raging at Townson, in the Lockyer Valley, for several days.
At nearby Thornton, about 30km away, another fire has broken out.
The area is expected to be hit with a 37C maximum today with wind speeds in excess of 23km/h.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Dean Narramore said fire danger across southeast Queensland was being driven by “hot, dry gusty conditions”, with north, north-westerly winds potentially reaching up to 50kmh in Brisbane this afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Assistant Commissioner Megan Stiffler said firefighters were keeping “a close eye” on several areas, especially near Rockhampton and the Scenic Rim.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Stiffler said the fires that had been burning for several days were also the source of some concern.
“In the central region that Cobraball fire just west of Yeppoon, about 69 per cent of it has been contained however we are expecting the deterioration of conditions [today],” she said.
“In the north-coast region, Kilkivan is on our radar as well as Cooroibah, we’ll key an eye on [that] to make sure any of those winds don’t pick up there.
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“And Brisbane region it’s Jimna and Monsildale [that are of most concern].
“In the south-east region it’s around the western Scenic Rim — those Thornton and Clumber fires are posing a concern for us.”
Mr Narramore said winds would strengthen into the afternoon.
“We’re going to see north to north westerly winds strengthen this afternoon, and that’s going to pull down warmer and drier air from the inland, raising fire dangers across the state,” he said.
“Those strong winds will lead to erratic and dangerous fire danger, as it can allow the fires to get a bit of a run, burn quickly and move quickly with those strong winds behind them.
“Winds will probably stay up overnight as well, particularly in elevated parts such as those fires in the Scenic Rim.”
PM URGES PEOPLE TO STAY SAFE
Hazard reduction burns in national parks is an idea which “will be tested”, but not until after the current crisis is resolved Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this morning.
As NSW and Queensland brace for potentially catastrophic bushfires, Mr Morrison said “nature will throw some curveballs today” and urged people to show common sense, look out for their own safety as well as other people’s.
He said preventative hazard reduction burns in national parks should be debated, but now was not the right time.
“There’s always going to be lessons after events like today, that’s obviously one that has to be tested,” he said on 2GB this morning when asked about the backburning.
“I’ve been hearing the same thing as I’ve been moving around the mid-coast (of NSW).
“The time to have those policy discussions are not in the middle of an operational response.”
Mr Morrison said it wasn’t that the issues weren’t important, but that efforts need to be focused on the operational response.
“That’s what people in the crisis areas need,” he said.
TROOPS ON STANDBY TO FIGHT CRISIS
Thousands of troops are on standby to help battle the country’s bushfire crisis. Almost 60 fires were last night burning across the state, with 100,000ha and nine homes already destroyed and firefighters warning the worst is yet to come.
Southeast Queenslanders have been warned to stay indoors and school sport has been cancelled after the widespread fires burning across Queensland and NSW saw air quality dip to unprecedented poor levels.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Inspector Joel Gordon saying the threat was very real.
“With conditions as they are, and the ground is so drought-stressed, fires are going to get up and running exceptionally quickly,” he said.
“It’s very hard for us to identify particular areas of concern or risk at this time.
“Central Queensland, the north coast, and south-east regions are the main focus, but we can’t really narrow it down … the number (of fires) will increase over the next few days as the fire activity increases.”
It comes as New South Wales braces for catastrophic fire conditions, with temperatures in the high-30s and winds over 80km/h expected to make it impossible for firefighters to control more than 60 blazes, which have already killed three people, destroyed 200 homes and sheds and burned 970,000ha of land.
In Queensland, at the last official count, nine homes had been lost as a result of the fires, and 100,000ha of land razed.
The fire warning was sitting at a severe grade, however, it was expected to rise to extreme in parts of the state by Tuesday.
“The elevated fire conditions will impact us this afternoon, and then definitely by Wednesday we’re going to see the height, or the peak, of the fire dangers in the state,” Acting Inspector Gordon said.
“Once we get into daylight hours (today), we’re going to see the severe conditions that are impacting down south start to make their way up the NSW coast and into Queensland and inland.”
Although the fires are escalating, official advice from emergency services remains the same – follow your Fire Survival Plan and ensure preparations are in place to keep pets and livestock safe.
The declared state of fire emergency has seen firefighters, including two strike teams from New Zealand and other resources from Tasmania, working around the clock.
Although emergency services are battling fatigue, Acting Inspector Gordon assures they have what it takes to battle the ferocious blaze.
“We are prepared,” he said. “We are committed to this fire campaign and we will ensure that we have adequate resources to meet the demands.”
Defence was placed on standby yesterday to send thousands of troops to help the bushfire crisis.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds wrote to the chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell to give the exceptional order to his commanders to “make it clear” they had the authority to deploy defence resources as they saw fit at a local level to deal with emergencies.
Senator Reynolds said that the forecast of catastrophic fires throughout the country was “deeply worrying”. She authorised General Campbell to make the order under Defence Assistance to the Civil Community Category 1 protocols, which effectively primes thousands of troops and vehicles for deployment.
“While our ADF personnel are not trained firefighters, they can provide other support for the nation’s frontline first responders,” she said.
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