‘It was all gone’: Heartbreak as 40 homes lost to ‘raging inferno’ engulfing Qld
Jean Thomson and her son hid in a car on their driveway as a deadly inferno raged through their Tara home. The deadly fire was just one of 84 burning across the state, destroying homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate. LATEST UPDATES
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Residents of Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast have again been told to “leave immediately”.
The warning came at 3.27pm Sunday, due to a large, fast-moving fire burning near White Gums Street and Wintzloff Road.
It was expected to impact Hardwood Road, Landsborough by 4.30pm.
It comes after police were going door-to-door to evacuate the Sunshine Coast town of Landsborough on Saturday night as firefighters battled to save Australia Zoo from a massive and fast-moving bushfire.
Police made an emergency Public Safety Preservation Act declaration after the fire “created its own weather system” due to its size and speed, and started threatening the town about 7.30pm on Saturday night.
Police and firefighters worked quickly to doorknock all houses in the area and evacuate residents as fast as possible.
The emergency zone encompassed Steve Irwin Way, Hardwood Rd, Forestry Rd and Dianella Rd.
The PSPA emergency declaration was revoked at 10.20pm after the blaze no longer posed a threat to property.
Despite the fire coming dangerously close to homes in the area as well as Australia Zoo, QFES confirmed Sunday morning that no structures were destroyed and the warning level in the area had lowered to ‘Advice: Stay informed”.
Sunday’s “leave immediately” emergency warning for Landsborough was the only one for that level - the QFES’s highest - in Queensland.
It comes after a week of hellish conditions for firefighters, with more than 80 fires still burning on Sunday.
A one-handed Tara mother and her disabled son were lucky to survive after taking shelter in their car as a “raging inferno” surrounded them and ripped through her property, turning her most sentimental possessions to ash.
Jean Thomson is one of more than 35 people who have lost their homes in the bushfires this week, with that number expected to rise as blazes ripped through more than 30,000ha of land.
Unable to escape, Ms Thomson got in the car and watched as flames overtook her home of 10 years.
“The flames were coming up all sides of us,” Ms Thomson said.
“I was so panicked … It was minutes before it became a raging inferno.
“By the time the firefighters arrived it was all gone.
“The fireman at the command centre said I did the right thing by staying back, I probably would have burnt to death if I tried to drive out.”
Fast-moving and intense fires forced more residents around Wieambilla and Tara to evacuate at the weekend, with several fires in the area keeping water bomber crews and ground firefighters run off their feet.
Forty homes are confirmed lost, as well as 25 sheds, which were among 73 structures confirmed lost in the deadly Western Downs bushfire – one of more than 84 fires that continue to burn across the state.
A QFES spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that 18 crews were still on the scene of a bushfire in the Western Downs Region near Tara and Wiembilla.
Blazes have erupted as far north as Mareeba all the way to the Western and Darling Downs region.
On Saturday night, fires continued to burn predominantly in Halliford and the Moonie Highway, and “do not return” warnings were current for Tara and Wieambilla.
An emergency warning for The Gums was upgraded to leave immediately as a large, fast-moving fire threatened lives near Ravens Rd.
QFES has also issued a leave immediately warning for Colosseum and Mount Tom, near Miriam Vale, as an “out-of-control, fast-moving” bushfire rages near Lowmead and Fingerboard Rd.
In Dalby on Saturday night, QFES Inspector Kent Burrows said southwest residents still were not out of danger, with horror fire conditions expected to return on Tuesday.
“All in all, a really excellent day from the crews, towards them getting things under control,” Inspector Burrows said. “Today was an opportunity to get on the front foot and we’ve made some really good planning for Tuesday.”
Senior Sergeant Jeremy Sheldrick said there were 84 active bushfires across Queensland and 73 structures destroyed so far, with the Dalby Evacuation Centre housing 266 people and 42 evacuees at Chinchilla Showgrounds as of Saturday night.
Ms Thomson and her son John became trapped on their Tomalou Lane property when the bushfires burning through Tara arrived on her doorstep this week. She bundled up her six beloved rescue cats, packed a bag and got son John in the car, but her cats escaped as she was about to leave.
“I tried to round them up but the flames were down both sides of the driveway by this time and I thought ‘I can’t leave’,” Ms Thomson said. “I tried to get the generators, but it became too hot to touch.”
Ms Thomson lost all her belongings, including items her late mother handed down to her. She lost all her appliances, generators, solar panels, even her clothes. But Ms Thomson, a full-time carer for her disabled son, said she was lucky.
“I had a car accident six years ago where I lost my hand and that made me realise what’s important,” she said. “It’s not materialistic things, it’s just being alive.”
Miraculously, Ms Thomson’s six cats and red Kelpie, Pup Pup, also escaped the fire with just a few burns.
Animal rescuer Bryanna Carter has seen the devastation the fires have caused to animals first-hand.
The owner of B3ARS Animal Rescue said she and her team of five had attended 30 properties across the Goranba, Wieambilla, Tara and Weranga regions to do welfare checks on livestock or pets that had to be left behind by their owners. She said horses, calves, dogs, cats are among the 300 animals at the rescue centre.
One joey survived the bushfire when his mother laid on top of him, sheltering him from the flames and sacrificing her own life.
Watch and act and prepare to leave warnings had been issued for Condamine, Condamine State Forest, Eidsvold, Coonambula, Carnarvon Gorge, Buckland, Consuelo, Rewan, Kogan and Eden Lassie Creek. Multiple smoke warnings were also issued affecting Gladstone, Undullah, Cardwell, Fernvale, Proserpine and Gatton.
Total fire bans are in place for the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Burnett regions.
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