Fire and rescue crews respond to multiple incidents around the Darling Downs

Emergency crews were dealt a spate of serious incidents at the weekend, from multiple truck rollovers to a major house fire. DETAILS.

Fireys attend a house fire in Toowoomba, fire and rescue sign generic, QFES, Friday, June 23, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

It’s been a long weekend for police, paramedics and fire crews across the wider Darling Downs attending a number of major incidents on and off our regions roads.

Crews were called to attend a single-vehicle crash in the Southern Downs on Friday evening where a man in his 70s became trapped in his vehicle after reportedly losing control and crashing into a tree on the New England Highway. 

SECOND NEW ENGLAND HWY ROLLOVER

Just after 9am on Saturday emergency crews received a report of a truck rollover on the New England Highway around 26km west of Toowoomba.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said crews arrived to find the truck on its side, just off the New England Highway on the corner of Phipps Rd at East Greenmount.

The QFES spokeswoman said the driver of the truck was out of the vehicle when fire and rescue crews arrived, with paramedics arriving shortly after.

The driver was taken to St Vincent’s hospital in a stable condition, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said.

Police monitored traffic control, with some minor delays, a Queensland Police Service spokesman said.

CHIMNEY FIRE SPARKS EARLY CALLOUT

It was an early start to the weekend for Darling Downs emergency service crews who were called out to reports of a structure fire at Clifton.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said when firefighters arrived at the address just before 8am on Saturday, they found it was a small chimney fire.

No residents were reported to be injured, with firefighters conducting atmospheric monitoring to ensure the air in the house was clear from smoke, the QFES spokeswoman said.

CREWS FIGHT MAJOR CROWLEY VALE FIRE

The occupants of a house in the Lockyer Valley received a major shock when they returned home to find smoke billowing out of the property on Saturday afternoon.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokeswoman said nine crews including urban and rural fire arrived to take control just after 2pm.

The call was initially made to police when the occupants returned home, a Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said.

No one was injured as a result of the fire, with paramedics assessing several patients at the scene, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.

It is understood one bedroom was destroyed by the fire, with heat damage effecting the rest of the house.

The QFES spokeswoman said a fire investigator attended the scene on Sunday, but was unable to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

ATV ROLLS IN RURAL SOUTHERN DOWNS

A man in his 20s and a second unknown person were involved in an ATV rollover on a private property at Killarney, around 34km southeast of Warwick on Saturday evening.

It is believed the incident occurred just before 9pm and it is unknown what caused the vehicle to roll.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said both patients were assessed by paramedics and taken to Warwick Hospital in a stable condition.

The man in his 20s is said to have suffered a head injury, with the second patient received minor injuries.