Thousands told to flee ‘catastrophic’ Queensland fires
Hundreds of people are being told to flee their homes as soon as possible as a large bushfire sweeps towards a Queensland community.
An urgent warning has been issued for a bushfire heading towards Winfield in Queensland’s Bundaberg Region.
Fire services are urging residents to leave immediately, as it will soon be too dangerous to drive.
“Follow your bushfire survival plan now,” the warning reads. “If you do not have a plan, your safest option is to leave immediately if it is clear to do so. If you cannot leave, identify where you will seek shelter from the bushfire. If you are not in the area, do not return, as conditions are too dangerous.”
There are separate warnings for Mullet Creek and Euleilah, and Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek.
“A large and unpredictable fire is travelling in southerly direction towards the Winfield community,” the warning continues.
“The fire is expected to have a significant impact on the community within the hour.
Conditions are now very dangerous and firefighters may soon be unable to prevent the fire advancing. The fire may pose a threat to all lives directly in its path. Fire crews may not be able to protect your property. You should not expect a firefighter at your door: act now.”
It comes after residents were forced to shelter on a north Queensland beach after being told to flee in the middle of the night as a bushfire closed in on their community.
Police had to rouse residents of Campwin Beach and Sarina Beach, south of Mackay, from their beds overnight but it appears everyone is safe, along with their homes.
The two beachside townships are no longer at risk after joining the list of Queensland communities forced to evacuate as the state’s bushfire crisis rolls on.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has expressed relief that no lives have been lost so far.
And she was clearly elated earlier today as she announced that firefighters had saved the town of Gracemere near Rockhampton, after 8000 people were forced to leave their homes.
“The town has been saved. (There is) relief, joy, everyone should just be so happy today,” she told ABC radio while also warning the state faces five more days of dangerous fire conditions.
She said residents who fled overnight to the beach were safe, and may be allowed to return home today.
Gracemere residents are also going home, after spending the night with friends, family and in evacuation centres.
The premier also revealed that everyone was safe at Rules Beach and Deepwater, north of Bundaberg, after some residents initially refused to obey warnings and get out.
“There was not one person left there. In the end they did listen,” she said, again expressing her frustrations that some had chosen to put their lives at risk by staying to defend their homes.
More than 100 fires continue to burn across the state.
Firefighters have welcomed an easing in the weather, with winds backing off. But temperatures remain high and will continue in the days ahead, meaning the crisis is far from over.
The premier said it was too soon to know how many properties might have been lost, but assessment teams would head into fire-hit communities as soon as possible.
But for now, she said the focus remained on keeping people safe with very hot and dangerous conditions to continue for the next five days. It’s already been confirmed that some houses have been lost at Deepwater and Finch Hatton, west of Mackay.
It’s also feared structures have been lost at Mount Larcom, on the Bruce Highway south of Rockhampton. People have not yet been allowed to return. More than 40 schools in central Queensland remained closed on Thursday.
About 1500 people fled the monster blaze in the Deepwater region that has already razed at least four homes and scorched tens of thousands of hectares of bush and farmland.
LEAVE NOW: Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach, Oyster Creek bushfire as at 12.45am Thu 29 Nov: https://t.co/QeNxVsGcOb
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) November 28, 2018
A third dangerous fire threatened Mount Larcom in the afternoon, prompting more evacuations. One resident, Rhonda Anderson, rode her horse 30km to Gladstone as a wall of smoke dwarfed the small town, AAP reports.
The Bureau of Meteorology declared a “catastrophic” fire danger — the highest possible risk rating — in some central areas, while firefighters battle to contain more than 140 blazes across the state.
“This is a very stressful situation for families. I need you to all be strong. I need you to all listen. Your family and the protection of our community is vital,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned those told to leave.
“So we need to reach out to community members who are frail, who are elderly, who have a disability. Please listen to authorities, it is going to get a lot worse,” she added.
.@NSWRFS heading north of the border 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/NWhpf6vd6m
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) November 28, 2018
Fire 🔥 Danger Ratings have reached Catastrophic for the first time in #Queensland due to the combination of a very dry, hot airmass and strong, gusty westerly winds. Follow the advice of @QldFES during these extremely challenging fire weather conditions: https://t.co/rfYMgjkWoL pic.twitter.com/tRqG2VnqYA
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 28, 2018
Firefighters have also been fighting blazes in Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek, Eungella and Dalrymple Heights, where people were ordered to evacuate before fires cut the road.
Most people made it out by road but some had to be ferried over Baffle Creek. Deputy Police Commissioner Bob Gee warned residents that the conditions were so dangerous people could die if they refused to leave.
“People will burn to death. Their normal approaches probably won’t work if this situation develops the way it is predicted to develop,” he said. “It is no different to a Category 5 cyclone coming through your door.”
By Wednesday night temperatures had eased slightly and winds had dropped, but authorities warned the state was still in the grip of heatwave and severe fire conditions.
Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said conditions in the Central Queensland area were still dire.
“Obviously while it might ease we still have grave concerns throughout the night so we are not through this yet.”
Crews from South Australia are expected to arrive today, with more from around Australia to arrive later in the week.
“We are not out of the woods, There is a big fire risk across the state,” Ms Palaszczuk said, warning the extreme heatwave would continue until Tuesday.
The worst of the conditions in central Queensland are so destructive they have been compared to those that fanned the infernos that recently devastated California.
The Bureau of Meteorology said scorching temperatures had broken records across Queensland, with the state capital Brisbane reaching 37.9 degrees Celsius.
ðŸŒ¡ï¸ Hot enough for you #Brisbane? Those gusty westerly winds helped the city reach a top of 37.9C, the hottest day since the G20 in 2014. No relief by the bay either, with not a seabreeze in sight - Bris Airport 36.5C, Redcliffe 38.6C. Forecasts: https://t.co/TxQzsgiycY
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) November 28, 2018
“We will see more fires flare up very very quickly, so this is the start of it,” Ms Carroll warned those evacuating.
“It is very difficult to get a sense of how long people have in the area because the winds are picking up faster than what was expected — so evolving, but very, very quickly,” she added.
Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher told the ABC that police earlier “arrested” several people refusing to leave the path of bushfires in Baffle Creek, about 120km south of Gladstone.
“You do feel for them, but at the end of the day the price of a small house or a shed compared to your life … at the end of the day, human life is top priority.”
Mr Butcher said at least 12 people were known to still be in the area, adding some residents refusing to leave the evacuation zone were parents who also had children with them.
Resident Luana Royle from the central Queensland town of Finch Hatton told the ABC that the area had been hit hard by the blaze.
“Our fires around here, you couldn’t even see 500 metres in front of you this morning,” she said.
“Everyone is OK, but two houses have went, which is pretty sad.”
Australia is no stranger to extreme weather, experiencing flash floods, sandstorms and even extreme drought in areas that are now being inundated.
On Wednesday in New South Wales, three people were killed when Sydney was hit by severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
The local Bureau of Meteorology reported more than 106 millimetres of rain in some places within a few hours.
Flights were cancelled, railway lines closed and motorists stranded on flooded roads, as a month’s worth of rain fell there early Wednesday morning.
— with AAP
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