Gold Coast fires: Hinterland fire shapes up as one of region’s longest burning blazes

The hinterland bushfires are shaping up to be one of the longest in the region’s history, with the blaze still burning strong after more than two weeks. Experts warn the worst could still be to come.

FIREFIGHTERS are bracing for dry lightning strikes in the Gold Coast Hinterland today as the hellish start to the warmer seasons refuses to yield.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted dry, gusty thunderstorms to sweep across the Gold Coast this afternoon, bringing with it the chance of lightning strikes which could start new fires in bone-dry bushland.

Fire crews will be tracking any storm activity and will use aircraft to identify any spot fires still burning tomorrow.

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Fire and Emergency crew battle bushfire near a house in the rural town of Canungra in the Scenic Rim region of South East Queensland, Friday, September 6, 2019. (AAP Image/Regi Varghese)

“Storms could bring dry lightning and a strike on the ground in these dry conditions is almost certainly going to start a fire that could potentially create another real problem that we could be battling into next week,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) regional manager for the southeast region Alan Gillespie said.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Kimba Wong said hot, dry conditions were expected to blanket the Hinterland with temperatures up to 8C higher than average in some parts.

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The fire burning in Illinbah (AAP Image/Supplied by Aleksandar Romanov)

“We are expecting it to be a very windy day … so warm and windy conditions is going to lead to the elevated fire dangers that we are expecting,” she said.

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But there is relief in sight, with tomorrow expected to bring cooler, less windy conditions.

The Hinterland bushfires are shaping up to be one of the region’s longest, with the blaze still burning strong after more than two weeks.

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Supt Gillespie said more than 7000 hectares of land had been lost, in a 70 kilometre perimeter.

“It’s a very long-running fire for southeast Queensland, one of the longest we’ve had,” he said.

Supt Gillespie praised the international firefighting efforts on the ground, with support streaming in from across Australia and even New Zealand.

He said crews had done an “extraordinary” job of keeping the fire burning within containment lines and expected to begin scaling down operations by the end of the week.

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Total valley devastation at Sarabah on Monday, September 9, 2019 in the destructive southeast Queensland bushfires. Picture: Kirstin Payne

Supt Gillsepie told the Bulletin he would be “astounded” if the city escaped the fire season without more damage to the Hinterland.

“It’s very unusual at this time of year to have a fire of this intensity — we’re not even into summer yet,” he said.

“It’s the start of a very long protracted, hot fire season for Queensland.”

Yesterday the fire, which began at Sarabah two weeks ago, was burning near Pyramid Creek in Lamington National Park, along with fire fronts in the Numbinbah Valley and Binna Burra, south of MacKenzie Rd.

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Supt Gillespie said the area around Lamington National Park Rd was of particular concern because of the dense bushland.

“Some of the containment lines are quite weak, we’re talking about walking tracks through the national park that can be pretty easily breached, so what we’re doing is shoring up those lines,” he said.

Conditions on the ground are expected to become more challenging today with a “very high” fire danger forecast across the southeast.

A local fire ban prohibiting the lighting of fires in the open is in place until midnight on Friday.

It comes as the state and federal government announced emergency joint funding for non-for-profit organisations in the Scenic Rim area yesterday.

Emergency hardship grants of up to $900 per family have also been announced by the state government.

A Community Recovery Hub remains open from 9am to 5pm at the Moriarty Park Community Sports Centre at Canungra to assist displaced residents.