Hazard reduction burn fills Brisbane with smoke haze

Authorities are warning some people to remain indoors as a smoke haze blanketing Brisbane threatens to persist into tomorrow.

A smoke haze that has blanketed Brisbane since Sunday is expected to persist until tomorrow, triggering an air quality warning.

People sensitive to poor air quality have been advised to stay indoors due to the smoke, which is coming from a controlled hazard-reduction burn at Brookfield that started on Sunday.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said on Monday the smoke was impacting the Greater Brisbane region, including Ipswich, Samford and Cleveland.

A thick smoke haze blankets Brisbane on Monday morning. Picture: Sean Callinan

The burn was expected to continue today – conditions permitting.

This morning the Department of Environment and Science’s Upper Kedron smoke sensor recorded very poor air quality, with a fine particulate matter concentration of 139.4µg/m3.

A health action level of four has been issued, advising sensitive people to stay indoors.

Smoke from a burn-off hangs over Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

QFES bushfire mitigation manager Shaune Toohey said more burns should be expected.

He explained there was only a two-week window to get hazard reduction burns done before vegetation dries out.

People sensitive to poor air quality are being urged to remain indoors until the smoke haze clears. Picture: Sean Callinan

“These are the small opportunities that a lot of our agencies have to get that done before the bushfire season.”

“So for the next two weeks there will be a lot of hazard reduction burning taking place as those agencies and those land managers and property owners take those proactive steps ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.”

Sunset on Sunday when smoke haze filled the Brisbane sky. Picture: Supplied

On Sunday, Steven Hadley from the Bureau of Meteorology said that, while the smoke could mean some reduced air quality in affected areas, it poses no real threat.

“There isn’t any significant reduction in air quality at this stage, but it’s one to watch,” he said.

He said that the haze should clear up later this morning.

“It’s obviously thickest nearest to the fire itself, which is around Brookfield, but also through the centre of the city,” he said.

“Hopefully with a bit of a south-westerly change coming through (Monday) that smoke will start to move away from most of the Brisbane area,” he said.

A QFES spokeswoman suggested that Queensland may see more controlled burns in the lead up to fire season.

“I would suspect that, while the weather is the way it is, this is probably going to be the start of our cool-burn season for hazard-reduction burning,” she said.