A fire alert south of Brisbane has been downgraded but has caused a smoke hazard on Queensland's busiest road. More than 80 fires continue to burn throughout the state, with four towns evacuated, along with a luxury resort, shopping centre and aquatic centre. ROLLING COVERAGE
More than 80 fires burning across the state
Exclusion zone declared at Woodgate near Bundaberg
Water bomber crash-lands north of Toowoomba
Beenleigh Marketplace evacuated
Four towns evacuated as fires close in
QUEENSLAND Fire and Emergency Services have advised residents in the path of a large bushfire near Pechey north of Toowoomba to leave immediately.
"At 7.25pm, a fast-moving fire is travelling in a westerly direction between Pechey and Hampton.," a QFES alert said.
"It is expected to impact Deeth Road, Lanyon Road, Williams Road, Pechey Forestry Road, Misty Mountain Road and the New England Highway in the coming hours.
"The fire is expected to have a significant impact on the community.
"The New England Highway is currently closed to the north of Munro Road."
FULL LIST OF BUSHFIRE ALERTS AND EVACUATIONS
Late this afternoon a fire had broken out in bushland near the Gold Coast City Council Aquatic Centre in Helensvale.
Six fire crews have responded to the scene, which is blanketed in thick smoke.All customers have been safely evacuated and fire crews are now on the scene.
The pool will remain closed until further notice.
It came as a bushfire burning near the centre of Beenleigh has been downgraded, with residents now being told to stay informed.
Earlier Queensland Fire and Emergency Services issued an alert for residents to prepare to leave, as the blaze threatened railway lines, homes and shops.
The fire was travelling west towards the railway line and Beenleigh Marketplace shopping centre near Reisers Rd and the Pacific Motorway, but had now been contained.
There is currently no threat to properties, a spokesman said.
However motorists on the Pacific Motorway are being told to take extra care, with smoke affecting visibility in the area.
Earlier bus services in the area were forced to skip stops, but services have since resumed.
Perfect firestorm
QUEENSLAND firefighters are braced for a dangerous collision of weather systems, as more than 80 fires continue to burn in the state.
A severe fire danger warning is in place for a large swath of southern Queensland, with soaring temperatures and thunderstorms expected today.
“We’ve got another tough day today and there is an extended forecast that we are not out the woods by any means,” Acting Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commission Michael Wassing said.
An exclusion zone was declared at Woodgate near Bundaberg, bounded by the Burrum River west of the Bruce Highway, the Bruce Highway north to Goodwood Rd, and Goodwood Rd to Elliot River.
A water bomber crash-landed while fighting blazes north of Toowoomba.
A "leave immediately" warning was in place for Noosa North Shore, an isolated community on the Sunshine Coast only accessible by boat.
Locals were being told to use the local ferry to reach the mainland as waterbombers and ground crews battle the blaze.
Resident Dave Wright has instead readied his boats to get out if the situation worsens.
“The dinghies are in the water and primed to go,” the Noosa North Shore rural fire brigade member has told The Sunshine Coast Daily.
“It’s how we travel every day.”
There are ‘leave now’ warnings for nearby Kilkivan, at Woodgate, south of Bundaberg, and at Pechey near Toowoomba.
A large fire is still burning in difficult terrain near the five-star Spicers Peak Lodge on the southern Darling Downs.
That fire is now burning between containment lines and is not directly impacting properties.
Resort managers knew some days ago that fire would likely threaten the property, and began advising guests not to keep their bookings.
Only a couple of staff were still on-site.
Authorities are most concerned about the sheer size and number of fires burning in parched land that is difficult to access.
There are several fires west of the Gold Coast, including in the Scenic Rim, that officials are anxiously watching.
Mayor Greg Christensen fears another black day, two months on from the September fires that destroyed 11 homes and the historic Binna Burra Lodge in the hinterland and Scenic Rim.
“With the volatility of the wind, the extreme temperatures and the pre-heating already of the fuels, events can unfold very rapidly and we’re stressing the urgency of being prepared,” he said.
A blaze in Cobraball near Yeppoon in central Queensland continues to be of significant concern.
It has claimed 13 of the 14 houses lost in Queensland since late last week. Winds are already picking up and temperatures in some areas are expected to be 6-8 degrees above average.
“We’ve got really hot, we’ve got really dry, windy conditions,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Victoria Dodds said.
Conditions are expected to ease on Thursday, but temperatures are heating up further into the weekend.
#NSWbushfires #QLDBushfires update: Insurance Council has extended Catastrophe declaration to cover #QLD communities of Yeppoon and Sunshine Coast. As at 2pm today, insurers have received 450 claims from the catastrophe areas. Initial losses estimated at $50m.
— Insurance Council (@ICAUS) November 13, 2019
A severe fire danger warning is in place for the drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt, the Wide Bay and Burnett region, and the southeast coast taking in Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
Fire authorities are comfortable with the resources Queensland has to deal with for the day that lies ahead, including 40 aircraft, and crews from New Zealand, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has asked Queenslanders to put their community above themselves and avoid reckless acts that could spark a fire. Health officials have warned vulnerable people to stay indoors, with air quality expected to plunge again on Wednesday as smoke from the Queensland and NSW fires spreads.
Beenleigh residents are being urged to prepare to leave due to a bushfire burning near Reisers Road. Emergency crews are working to contain the blaze. https://t.co/b2YA6rYuQG #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/Jg0Q2QJSex
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) November 13, 2019
Four towns under threat
RESIDENTS in four Queensland towns have been ordered to evacuate as "very dangerous" bushfires burn out of control and are expected to have a significant impact on the community.
It comes as Beenleigh residents have been told to prepare to leave as a bushfire burning near Loganholme intensifies.
As of 1.40pm a bushfire was burning near Reisers Rd and George St, west of the Pacific Motorway.
The fire was travelling in a westerly direction towards the railway line and came within 50m of Beenleigh Marketplace shopping centre, which has been evacuated.
Logan House Fire Support Network’s Louie Naumovski said no lives were currently at risk but more than 13 units, including rural brigades from Wasp Creek, were called to help as there was concern with the rapid speed the fire was spreading.
The fire, which started just after 11.30am, picked up with a wind change to the southwest.
“It’s just near the eastern carpark of the Beenleigh Marketplace and there is concern because of the winds and the dry conditions,” he said.
“It is spreading rapidly which is why QFES put out a Third Alarm, which calls for all trucks in the area.”
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have told residents to be ready to leave if conditions continue to deteriorate.
Earlier, those in Noosa North Shore have been told to leave immediately, with an unpredictable bushfire burning near First Cutting.
Emergency services are expecting the fire may soon impact the Wallaby Track.
There are fears a fire bug is operating on the Noosa North Shore after four fires in separate locations erupted in the past 24 hours.
First officer of the North Shore Rural Brigade, Mike Hancock, said there was no reason for that many fires in separate locations and they could not be explained as ember sparks.
"We've got plenty of resources, but it looks like someone's lit these," Mr Hancock said.
"There was one yesterday and three today."
Residents in Kilkivan, west of Gympie, Woodgate, south of Bundaberg, and Pechey, near Toowoomba, have also been urged to leave while fire crews are also battling a grass fire at Beenleigh which has come within 50m of Beenleigh Marketplace shopping centre.
The Noosa North Shore fire was expected to have a significant impact on the community with conditions now 'very dangerous'.
People leaving should take the Noosa River Ferry to Moorindil Street. An evacuation centre has been established at the Noosa Leisure Centre on Wallace Drive.
Three other towns are also being evacuated - Kilkivan near Gympie and Woodgate south of Bundaberg.
Residents in Kilkivan, north-west of Gympie, have been told to leave as a nearby bushfire intensifies.
As of 11.30am, a large fire burning in the vicinity of the Des Simpson Memorial was heading in a south-westerly direction towards Thornside Road and Upper Thornside Road.
Residents were told to self-evacuate along Thornside Road onto Upper Widgee Road heading towards Gympie.
Waterbombing aircraft and fire crews were working to contain the blaze, however Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have told residents they should not expect a firefighter at their door.
Residents at Walkers Point/Woodgate south of Bundaberg are also being evacuated with a fast-moving bushfire burning near Woodgate Road and Woppis Road, burning towards Walkers Point Road at 1.50pm.
Power, water, and mobile phone service may be lost.
Those in the Walkers Point area should evacuate via Walkers Point Road, towards Woodgate Bowls Club, Kangaroo Court. Residents in the Woodgate township are not required to evacuate at this point in time.
Residents at Pechey near Hampton in the Toowoomba region are also being evacuated with a fast-moving fire travelling from Grapetree Road towards Deeth Road, Sewell Road, Parker Road, Bush Road and Misty Mountain Road.
At 1pm it is currently impacting Parker Road and Sewell Road.
The fire could have a significant impact on the community.
More than one hundred fire crews continue to battle sixty-two blazes burning across Queensland, with areas in the Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and South Burnett regions of particular concern.
Meanwhile, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services are battling a bushfire near Spicers Peak Lodge, which forced the luxury retreat to be evacuated in the middle of the night.
The warning has now been downgraded to 'prepare to leave' at 1.20pm with the bushfire burning near Spicers Gap. It is travelling in a southerly direction from Spicers Gap towards Spicers Peak Lodge.
The fire is not directly impacting properties at this time, however this could change quickly and those who haven’t already left, should be ready to leave.
Residents are reminded the Cunningham Highway is currently closed at Cunningham Gap due to this fire.
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Directing manager David Assef said he was concerned about the fire reaching the lodge today and evacuation was an important safety measure.
“We’re concerned about the winds from midday today which could really escalate and push the fire up quite quickly,” Mr Assef sid.
“We’ve taken all precautionary measures to ensure first and foremost people are safe, everyone is off the mountain.”
Guests were evacuated on Monday, with bookings postponed until further notice.
Mr Assef said conditions when staff and guests left the property on Monday were very smoky with minimal visibility.
“It wasn’t comfortable, in particular for our guests or our team standing in that for longer than an hour you were tasting it, your eyes were stinging.”
Mr Aseff said theresort will reopen when it is safe.
“I’m hopeful that the property will regenerate and reform to its former glory,” he said.
A QFES spokeswoman said that no guests were at the lodge when police and firefighters door knocked to evacuate in the early hours of the morning.
Four firefighting crews and one caretaker remain on scene to battle the blaze.
There is a separate warning for Mount Alphen and Double Top.
The QFES spokeswoman said that as of 6.40am there was “no damage yet” to the lodge.
“However conditions are getting worse as south-westerly winds push in the direction of Spicers Peak Lodge and will likely impact the lodge soon,” she said.
At Peechy, north of Toowoomba, a fast-moving fire is travelling from Grapetree Road towards Deeth Road, Sewell Road, Bush Road and Misty Mountain Road.
The fire is likely to impact these roads in the coming hours.
Fire crews with support from waterbombing operations are working to contain the fire.
It comes as Queensland braces for its most extreme fire conditions yet with high temperatures and “complicated” strong winds expected to cause havoc on the state’s fatigued crews.
Temperatures are set to reach up to 36C in the southeast today and the Bureau of Meteorology has warned a wind change from northerly to south-westerley, coupled with a south-easterly surge moving through the south coast, will hamper conditions on the ground.
The wind change is expected to bring a smoke haze in the south-east today.
Temperatures in some areas will also be up to 8C higher than average and strong winds and dry conditions are forecast, with no significant rainfall expected.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state was being plagued by “severe conditions” that did not help crews battling fires from the Gold Coast to Cape York.
She said there would be severe conditions today in the Darling Downs, Granite Belt and southeast coast. Twelve homes have been lost and at least 100,000ha of land burned in Queensland’s fires. Yesterday, more than 1000 personnel were on the ground fighting 55 fires across the state, with 40 aircraft assisting.
Residents were on high alert, with “prepare to leave” warnings at Tarome, Palen Creek, Rosevale, Clumber and Moogerah.
With fires approaching Palen Creek prison farm, near the Queensland/NSW border, 133 prisoners were evacuated and moved to Borallon jail.
The bushfire crisis also continues in NSW, where last night 85 fires were burning, including 12 at emergency level with one million hectares of the state burnt, three people dead and 150 homes lost since the weekend.
More than 3000 firefighters across NSW were hailed as heroes as they followed a carefully crafted plan to contain and battle fires in catastrophic fire conditions of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.
But the state had been urged to “remain vigilant” into the early hours of this morning when the southerly wind change was expected to hit the fire grounds of northern NSW.
It comes as the man seen being comforted by Scott Morrison in a heartbreaking photo earlier this week was dealt another blow after being evacuated from his home for a second time.
On Sunday, the PM visited victims at the Club Taree Evacuation Centre in Taree where he met 85-year-old Owen Whalan who broke down in tears after being evacuated from his Koorainghat property.
Yesterday, Mr Whalan and his wife Catherine returned to their home to find it had survived the fires, however, not long after arriving back home he was forced to leave again as the fires flared back up. Queensland’s State disaster co-ordinator and Queensland Police Service deputy commissioner Steve Gollschewski said some of the fires were being treated as suspicious.
He said crews were in a good place and urged residents to continue to listen to emergency services.
Acting Fire Commissioner Mike Wassing said a “long haul” effort was ahead for firefighters. “This is a marathon for us with sprints in between and we are managing the fatigue of our people,” he said.
BOM meteorologist Dean Narramore said smoke haze that blanketed Brisbane and the Gold Coast on Monday was likely again today and was due to bushfires in northern NSW and the Scenic Rim.
“We’re going to have a south-westerly wind change go through in the morning hours (today) and that’s going to lead to those severe fire dangers and erratic fire behaviour, but on the coastal locations we’re going to have a south-easterly change moving up as well and there’s likely to be smoke from bushfire in NSW trapped in those winds,” Mr Narramore said.
“The smoke is likely to blanket most of the south-east. If a number of fires in NSW get going or get out of control there could be a lot more smoke and it also depends on how that smoke down there acts as the wind changes.”
Work was halted on Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf project yesterday due to Brisbane’s poor air quality.
The decision was made after advice from Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, who warned of the risks of working outside for long periods.
Dr Young described air quality in the south-east on Monday as “unprecedented”.
She said the smoke haze was expected to return today with worsening air quality and advised vulnerable people such as asthmatics and the elderly to minimise time outside.
A state of emergency has been declared across 42 local council areas.
The Australian Defence Force has been assisting crews by transporting firefighters and bringing in bulldozers to conduct fire breaks.
To help fatigued crews, an additional 110 firefighters are coming from New Zealand, Victoria, Tasmania and Northern Territory.
FEARS have risen that a fire bug is operating on the Noosa North Shore after four fires in separate locations erupted in the past 24 hours, the Sunshine Coast Daily reports.
First officer of the North Shore Rural Brigade, Mike Hancock, said there was no reason for that many fires in separate locations and they could not be explained as ember sparks.
"We've got plenty of resources, but it looks like someone's lit these," Mr Hancock said.
"There was one yesterday and three today."
CONFUSING wind patterns potentially producing dry lightning and no rain in sight has the states disaster response units on standby for the worst.
BoM Acting State Manager Victoria Dodds said the state is facing “hot, dry and windy” conditions today before a complex wind change that will make it “challenging” for firefighters on scene.
A south westerly change carrying a cold front combined with a south easterly change tracking up from New South Wales is likely to impact fire fighting capabilities.
“There is a bit of a battle of air mass where that air comes together and there is potential for thunderstorms to form this afternoon.”
With no significant rain on the horizon, Ms Dodds said the incoming winds set to hit Brisbane at lunch time will likely to carry more smoke from neighbouring fires from New South Wales.
269 vehicles are on seen at more than 70 fires burning across the state.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Clumber Fire threatening Spicers lodge at Maryvale and shutting down of the Cunningham Fire is of serious concern this afternoon.
“The conditions are of concern to us especially that south Burnett, scenic rim and the south east of Queensland,” she said.
Acting fire Commissioner Michael Wassing said today will be another “tough day” for fighters but is pleased at the management of containing some of the large fires.
“We have severe fire weather potentially throughout the weekend,” he said.
Mr Wassing said 110 interstate and international fire response crews are assisting in Queensland.
The Premier said that 22 firefighters from Tasmania are expected to arrive in Brisbane today.
State disaster coordinator deputy commissioner Steve Gollschewski said investigations are continuing into some suspiciously lit blazes.
“We are still seeing people do reckless and I have to stay quite stupid and selfish things,” he said.
Revelations have also emerged that the Binna Burra fire near the Gold Coast which started September was lit from a cigarette butt.
“You need to do the right thing by your self and your community. Because it is the community that suffers by your reckless behaviour,” the Premier said.
– Gerard Cockburn
We’re responding to more than 50 fires across the state & there's around 170 crews on the ground, working to keep Queenslanders safe. Community support goes a long way to help our firefighters, who have been doing a fantastic job under trying conditions. pic.twitter.com/p2zuzUC6uq
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) November 12, 2019
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