Country Fire Authority volunteers arrive in Southern Downs to battle fires in region
Fatigued fireys have welcomed the arrival of interstate reinforcements, who have touched down from Victoria to help tackle the 20,000ha blaze that threatened towns in the Southern Downs. See the full update here.
Warwick
Don't miss out on the headlines from Warwick. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The cavalry has arrived to help tackle out of control fires in the Southern Downs that threatened multiple towns and hundreds of people.
A total of 48 volunteer firefighters from Victoria’s Country Fire Authority have touched down in Warwick to bring relief to Queensland crews.
CFA crews have also brought an additional 22 incident management team members to help with support on the ground.
Queensland Rural Fire Service South West Superintendent Wayne Waltisbuhl said 20,000ha of grass and bushland had been burnt across the region.
“Our three main areas of concern at the moment are Dalveen, Wallangarra and Swanfels,” he said.
“We hope within the hour we can get the New England Highway open to people travelling.
“That’s our important priority today for us today to allow people to return to their homes.”
Current conditions for Dalveen residents remained at “not safe to return” level and no structures are currently under threat.
Superintendent Waltisbuhl expressed his gratitude to the Victorian crews for leaving their families to come all the way to Queensland to assist.
“We’ve got some very tired people and the crews that have come up (from Victoria) are really going to support our operations and give our crews a bit of time off,” he said.
Victorian CFA deputy incident controller Colin Brown said they have two additional crews and four strike teams in Queensland who are headed to assist in Gladstone and Rockhampton as well as Tara in the Western Downs.
“We thought we can help here, we can give these people a break and that’s exactly what we’re doing, to support the teams and not to take over,” he said.
Anake CFA volunteer firefighter John Mangrum said so far Victorian crews have had one massive blaze and were also expecting quite a bad bushfire season.
“We’re expecting a really bad season this year and next year, so we’re here to help out and expect (Queensland crews) will do the same when we need it,” he said.
Mr Mangrum’s advice to residents in those watch and act areas is to watch weather conditions and stay safe.
“Watch the weather and get out of there, if you can’t protect yourself get out and let the professionals do it,” he said.
The 48 Victorian crews will be split into two strike teams and will assist crews at Dalveen and Ballandean over the coming weeks.
Superintendent Waltisbuhl said it was only the beginning of Queensland's bushfire season, and predicted that conditions will worsen as summer hits.
Current weather conditions remain favourable into the next week, giving crews the opportunity to wrap these fires up.
Minutes from disaster: Nearby store saved by retaining wall
The owner of a nearby business has revealed their shop was minutes away from going under after a fire broke out in a tobacco shop. Video and photos here.
Saleyard savants: Meet Qld’s top livestock auctioneers
From young prodigies, established leaders and esteemed stalwarts, the quality of Queensland’s livestock auctioneers is at an all time high. Meet the men driving one of our most important industries to new heights.