Fire at "The Sands” last night

A FIRE that broke out at "The Sands” near the Mary River last night has left a 15- 20 m charred area near the popular swimming hole.

Gympie firefighters were called to a grass fire at 'The Sands' on Tuesday night. Picture: Frances Klein

A FIRE that broke out at "The Sands” near the Mary River last night has left a 15- 20m charred area near the popular swimming hole.

Gympie firefighters were called to the recreation spot off the Bruce Hwy near Aldi shopping centre, at 6.10pm where the grass fire was underway.

While initially difficult to access, when reached, the firefighters controlled the blaze within half an hour, Gympie station officer Anthony Brewin said.

While the fire did not threaten any property, he said any fire not controlled in these conditions could pose a threat.

"There's a lot of vegetation, but thankfully it's still a bit green,” he told The Gympie Times.

"There's not a lot of structure but it's adjacent to the highway, which can cause traffic problems.

"In this kind of season any kind of fire that's not controlled is dangerous.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, but station officer Brewin said there were no lightning strikes last night that could be the cause.

A Gympie police spokesman said severe penalties apply to people deliberately lighting fires.

"If there's a series of fires and it becomes apparent they've been deliberately lit, we would investigate with the firefighters.”

A very high fire danger rating remains in place for Wide Bay and the Burnett.

Gympie firefighters were called to a grass fire at 'The Sands' on Tuesday night. Picture: Frances Klein