Gold Coast fires: Mayor Tom Tate urges residents to be ready to leave as fires rage in Hinterland

Gold Coast residents have been warned to be prepared to get out as the city’s Hinterland faces a week of worsening fire conditions and multiple blazes.

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate is warning residents to be prepared to get out as the city’s Hinterland faces a week of worsening fire conditions and multiple blazes.

Firefighters have prevented the loss of property or lives despite six fronts that have raged across the Hinterland and Scenic Rim in catastrophic conditions.

Mayor Tom Tate said this is the worst fire season he has ever seen. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

But dramatic footage from the Queensland Police Polair helicopter showed flames from the worst blaze at Lower Beechmont licking treetops, raging through bush and raining embers on the hinterland on Saturday morning.

Lower Beechmont residents were warned by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) to again “prepare to leave” yesterday afternoon, after being advised to “leave immediately” earlier in the day.

Queensland Police released Polair vision of the Lower Beechmont bushfire.

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The fire was burning in difficult terrain to the west of North Rd, Freemans Rd and Outlook Ave, travelling towards Lower Beechmont. Firefighters on the ground were aided by water bombers and machinery.

Meanwhile, the Gold Coast’s Disaster Management Unit has been meeting twice daily and putting in place preparations ahead of tomorrow and Wednesday’s sweltering temperatures.

Cr Tate said the city was prepared for the worst and urged locals to be prepared if an evacuation order came.

“This is without a doubt the worst fire season I have seen here on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“Wednesday particularly is going to be a testing time because humidity is going to be extremely low to the point where the fire could reignite naturally.

The bushfire raging in Lower Beechmont in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“Our message to Gold Coasters is this – be prepared to leave if you need to. Make sure your documents are uploaded to the clouds, get your valuables in your safe and know where your family members are.”

Cr Tate said the council’s evacuation centre at Nerang would accept residents and their pets after controversy surrounding animals being blocked from some NSW centres.

Council’s fire trails would be reviewed to improve safety in the Hinterland, Cr Tate said.

“After this summer we are going to go out and take a look at the fire trails and get the machinery in there,” he said.

Water bombers targeting the fire at Lower Beechmont. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Gosling

With Christmas and end-of-year celebrations beginning, he warned all community events against using fireworks while a fire ban was in place.

“It unnecessarily causes social or moral disconnect between areas under direct fire threat while the coastal areas of the city conduct seemingly celebratory fireworks,” he said.

A celebratory “thank you” event for State Emergency Service workers who helped fight the devastating September fires was cancelled on Saturday as the Hinterland again came under threat.