Heritage-listed Binna Burra Lodge destroyed in Queensland bushfires
A devastating picture of loss is emerging in Queensland and NSW, as a historic attraction is destroyed.
Historic Binna Burra lodge in the mountainous Gold Coast hinterland has been destroyed by a bushfire burning in the heavily-forested region.
Authorities are still trying to assess the full scale of the damage, but it is believed several structures at the picturesque tourist location have been completely destroyed.
The heritage-listed accommodation was built in the 1930s and is one of the region’s most popular tourist attractions.
“Early this morning it crept into the Binna Burra resort and there has been significant structural loss,” Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor Greg Christensen told a community briefing in Canungra on Sunday.
“The reality is we should expect significant structural loss (and) that has already occurred, and potentially much more loss.”
“That is what is deeply concerning, and fairly difficult ... The really great news is that we continue to enjoy the outcomethat we have had no loss of life.”
Water bombing is helping the firefighting efforts at the fire that has burned along a 10km front from Canungra to Binna Burra.
There are still dangerous hotspots along that line but the fire is of concern at the southern end near Binna Burra.
The weather bureau has warned that winds are expected to lift again on Sunday. There will be gusts and swirling winds, themayor said.
No one knows how many people evacuated as many people went to friends instead of the evacuation centre at Moriarty Park in Canungra.
The fire that tore through the area on Saturday night continues to burn but authorities said the blaze is not currently endangering any homes.
There are more than 50 fires burning throughout Queensland, including at Stanthorpe and Applethorpe near the NSW border.
Heightened fire activity means exclusion zones may be in place at various locations (like the one pictured for the Stanthorpe/Applethorpe area). These are in place due to active fires, power lines down & fallen trees. Stay away from these areas until they have been made safe. pic.twitter.com/ycbhwQZj03
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) September 8, 2019
More than 20 homes have been lost in Queensland since Friday and it is unlikely many residents will be able to return home until later in the week.
QFES Assistant Commissioner Kevin Walsh said the blazes that destroyed those homes were ferocious fires in the worst conditions he’d ever seen.
“Firefighters stood side by side battling wind gusts of up to 90km/h,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything as bad as that.”
Fires are also burning in central and northern Queensland, but are yet to threaten property.
Authorities said low humidity, strong wind and months without rain had fuelled the blazes.
They predicted no reprieve from the current conditions until at least Wednesday, when humidy is forecast to increase.
The Bureau of Meteorology does not expect southeast Queensland to receive any rain for the next eight days at least, and predicted that there might not be any rain for weeks or months to come.
Nobody has died or been injured by the fires in Queensland, but a NSW firefighter remains in Royal Brisbane Hospital with critical injuries suffered battling flames near Tenterfield in northern NSW. There was good news overnight, when an 85-year-old man reported missing from Beechmont, near the Binna Burra fire, was found safe and well.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner Mike Wassing said he was confident there would be “no further impact” on property from the fires near Stanthorpe.
The remoteness and inaccessibility of the terrain in the Gold Coast hinterland has hampered efforts to control the fire that continues to burn near Binna Burra.
“It’s very remote, really difficult conditions for our firefighters,” Mr Wessing said.
“Many of those areas, and a lot of those assets, we just can’t get to.
“There’s still a very active fire there.
“In saying that though, we’re confident with our ground crews and aerial assets that further extension and additional communities will be not be under any further threat in that area.”
Mr Wessing said conditions were expected to remain dangerous until at least Wednesday due to a “dry westerly air mass”.
He said forecast conditions indicated a “long season ahead”.
Acting premier Jackie Trad — filling in for Annastacia Palaszczuk who is in Switzerland — said the outlook was concerning.
“These fires, given the very dry conditions we are currently experiencing, are likely to be a threat for some time longer,” she said following a meeting at the state disaster co-ordination centre in Brisbane.
Ms Trad said firefighters were on alert throughout Queensland.
Several schools are expected to be closed on Monday.
NSW
Firefighters are still battling to get the upper hand against several bushfires burning out of control in NSW, the nastiest of which are in the state’s north.
A number of homes have been lost or damaged by fires in the state since Friday, while a 66-year-old volunteer firefighter is recovering from serious burns. Tenterfield local Neville Smith’s hands, arm, legs, back, face and airways were burned on Friday while he and a colleague fought a fire at Mount Mackenzie Road, which had burned more than 3500 hectares south of the Tenterfield township by Saturday evening.
“He is expected to remain in the intensive care unit for some time,” RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters on Saturday.
One home has been destroyed in the Tenterfield blaze, four have been damaged and three facilities, including two car yards, have been ruined. But at least another 65 homes were saved by firefighters, who have brought the blaze under control.
Some 60 fires remain burning across the state, with about six of them out of control late on Saturday evening.
Watch and Act warnings remained in place for a fire at Bees Nest in Armidale and another at Long Gully Road in Drake, east of Tenterfield.
Up to six homes have been reported destroyed in those two fires but assessment teams have had difficulty accessing the fireground.
The Bees Nest blaze has torched 50,000 hectares, twice the size of the Sydney city council area.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state was well-prepared and resourced to battle the blazes, due to investments including a large air tanker. “But nothing can match nature,” she told reporters.
Armidale, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha local government areas have been declared natural disaster zones, allowing residents to access state and federal financial support.
The Insurance Council has also declared a catastrophe for bushfires that have destroyed homes or property in the state’s north, giving priority to claims from affected policyholders.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has assured those affected by the blazes, along with fires burning in Queensland, that they will get help if they require it. “You will get all the support that is needed,” he tweeted on Saturday.
A lot of people will be doing it tough & many fires are still burning so it’s important we support each other. I am receiving regular updates from MPs & Ministers on the ground & from various agencies & we’ll continue to act to ensure our communities get the help they need.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 7, 2019
With Agencies
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