Smokey Airlie Beach fire expected to burn for days
UPDATE 4.30PM: Debris from Cyclone Debbie continue to frustrate emergency services
Whitsunday
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UPDATE 4.30PM: DEBRIS from Cyclone Debbie continue to frustrate emergency services, as fire crews continue to put out blazes around Airlie Beach.
The Whitsunday beachside town was blanketed in smoke when a vegetation fire broke out near Mount Whitsunday Dr and Hermitage Dr at noon on Monday.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said two days later, firefighters were still putting out small fires around the burnt area.
She said one crew remained on scene to patrol the area, and had already extinguished two flare-ups on Thursday morning.
She said the extent of the blaze was still unknown, as a QFES helicopter and Whitsunday Regional Council drone were conducting aerial mapping of the area.
Rural Fire Service Area Director Andrew Houley said firefighters were facing the problem of debris, three years after Cyclone Debbie hit.
"The fires have been stopped, but there's a lot of cyclone debris burning on the ground," Mr Houley said.
"There's so much cyclone debris down very steep slopes where the cyclone pushed it.
"That will burn for hours or days because it's so dry."
INITIAL 2PM: FIREFIGHTERS are keeping a close eye on a blaze that broke out three days ago in Airlie Beach.
They battled the blaze into the early hours of Tuesday morning with support from a water-bombing helicopter.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said there was one crew on scene today patrolling the area.
He said crews extinguished flare ups that broke out this morning.
A helicopter was conducting aerial mapping of the area to determine the extent of the fire.
The cause of the blaze is still to be determined.
Extreme weather is set to hit the state today with a high fire danger warning issued for today, which will be accelerated to very high on Friday.
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