‘Not safe to return’: Fire warnings amid southeast scorcher

One person has been taken to hospital and residents in parts of the state’s south were told to leave their properties as more than a dozen fires burn across Queensland.

The QFES had listed 19 blazes across the state Monday afternoon.

One person has been taken to hospital and residents in parts of the state’s south were told to leave their properties as more than a dozen fires burn across Queensland on Monday.

At Wutar and East Cooyar in the Toowoomba region, an emergency “leave now” order was issued at 4.41pm, as a bushfire threatened homes between the New England Highway and East Cooyar Road.

The emergency warning was later downgraded to a “not safe to return/watch and act”, which remained in place at 7.55pm.

Another two blazes nearby were sitting at a “prepare to leave/watch and act” warning level but had both been downgraded to “stay informed/advice” by 7.45pm.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service also issued a ‘prepare to leave/watch and act’ order for residents west of Ipswich Monday afternoon but it was later downgraded to “avoid smoke/advice”.

That blaze was a grass fire making its way towards properties in Walloon, near Amberley, with air support assisting Fire and Rescue and Rural Fire Service crews on the ground.

Residents at properties between Stocks Lane and Calvin Street were advised at 4.40pm to prepare to leave their homes should conditions worsen and the fire jump a nearby creek, before the warning was downgraded at 5.43pm.

In Fernvale, in the Somerset region, one person was taken to Ipswich Hospital about 3.30pm suffering from smoke inhalation following a large grass fire on the Brisbane Valley Highway.

There were 19 fires listed on the QFES warnings and incidents page Monday afternoon.

Multiple marine weather warnings were issued on Monday following wind speeds of up to 30 knots along the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast coastlines.

Bureau meteorologist Patrick Clapp said due to a trough generated in the southern part of Queensland as well as notable storm activity, moderately strong winds across Brisbane were expected.

“BOM have issued wind warnings for Gold and Sunshine Coast waters due to a trough generating northerly winds,” Mr Clapp said Monday afternoon.

“Winds of up to 30 knots and 60 kilometres an hour over land are expected through the rest of the afternoon, evening and through to tomorrow.”

The warmer day and some irregular storm activity is expected at this early stage of spring, according to Mr Clapp.

As The Courier-Mail reported earlier, South East Queensland was set for a scorching start to the week, with temperatures reaching up to 36C on Monday and an extreme fire danger rating in some regions.

Senior meteorologist at the Bureau Kimba Wong had earlier said Brisbane would reach 33C on Monday, Ipswich would hit 36C, while Oxley, Beaudesert and Gatton would have maximums of 35C, before some relief mid-week and then temperatures climbing again by the weekend.