Mutchilba fire update: ‘We were scared, but we decided to stay and fight’

Those on the the frontline have revealed what it was like in the eye of a fire that has burned 4500 hectares in Mutchilba.

Road-side view of the fire which started on Wednesday.

Residents and firefighters have described the towering flames and thick black smoke in the eye of a fire that has burned 4500 hectares in Mutchilba.

The fire started around Barbetti Road and the Mareeba-Dimbula Road in Mutchilba on Wednesday and burned out of control until Friday night.

Three “prepare to leave” warnings were issued as the intense blaze swept north and south west through Mutchilba toward Dimbulah last week.

An emergency warning was issued with residents urged to seek shelter immediately around 5pm on Thursday, October 26.

The warning area encompassed properties between Metzger Road, Mareeba Dimbulah Road, Barbetti Road, Craig Road and De Lacy Road, including Mutchilba Road, Piemonte Road and Algoma Road.

The fires burned out of control for nearly three days.

Some 60 fire crews, mostly volunteers, plus choppers and waterbombing aircraft, were deployed to contain the blaze.

The fire is still burning near Mount White but is burning within containment lines.

Les Green from Tinaroo Rural Brigade, who fought on the front lines of the fire, said it was intense and difficult to contain in the first two days.

“It was pretty full-on,” he said of the blaze, which had towering flames and thick black smoke.

Most of the 4500 hectares burned were private property.

There are no reports of injuries to people or buildings damaged.

“It took a lot of crews to bring the fire under control,” he said.

He said the wetter-than-usual winter meant that there was a lot of fuel for the fire and had also hampered this year’s hazard burns.

Les Green is urging property owners to be more vigilant.

“It burned for a long time because where it was burning was inaccessible,” he said.

“We really concentrated our efforts on the edges of the fire by building containment lines.

“We also made full use of roads – three to four meters wide, and therefore acted as a bit of buffer.”

Kirsty Weir from Hectic Valley Farm said she watched on from her property as the fire burned the edges of her neighbour’s land across the road.

The Mutchilba fire raging at night.

“We were scared, but decided we are going to stay and fight. We had our houses ready too.”

She said she hoped the road separating their property would protect them – and ultimately, it did.

“The firefighters were also at my neighbour’s property and did a great job in fighting the fire.”

John Narali from Favco Farming said the intense fire burned mango trees on part of his property and damaged their irrigation system.

The fires burned out of control for nearly three days.

He said once the fire started to die down on Friday, they were able to get the farm back in operation after repairing the irrigation.

A Dimbulah business owner told the Cairns Post there was considerable trepidation in the town as the fire burned right up to the town’s edges, and several roads were closed.

Currently, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have downgraded advice to an “avoid smoke warning,” with people being advised to “stay inside and close windows and doors as the smoke could be harmful”.

The fires, which are still going, burned through forest, farm and grass.

A total fire ban is also in place until Monday, November 6.

The local fire ban will be in place for residents in the Aurukun, Cairns, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Napranum, Northern Peninsula Area, Pormpuraaw, Torres, Torres Strait, Weipa, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah, Cassowary Coast, Mareeba, Tablelands, Croydon and Etheridge Local Government Areas.

Les Green said there was a lesson here for property owners to be more vigilant.

“I think property owners need to do a lot more slashing or a lot more grazing on their properties,” he said.

Originally published as Mutchilba fire update: ‘We were scared, but we decided to stay and fight’