Homes threatened as fire spreads along Millmerran Woods Road

Dozens of homes were within a large exclusion zone as firefighters worked through the night to contain a large scrub fire burning west of Toowoomba. LATEST UPDATE

Millmerran Woods residents faced an uncertain night ahead as they watch to see if a large scrub fire will take their homes.

The fire started along Cabbage Gum Road about 2pm on Monday and has spread north, along Millmerran Woods Road and into Ironbark Drive.

Police and QFES crews have been going door to door to alert residents to the threat, telling them to assess whether they should leave.

For Norn Chapman, the fire is still several kilometres off but he knows how fast these things can move, having watched fire surround his Cypress Garden home in the summer of 2019.

“I took a drive down to the fire ground this morning to see what was happening,” he said.

“There a lot of police and firefighters around and I can see two water bombers in the air and a chopper.”

Police made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act at Millmerran Woods. An exclusion zone was established between the Gore Highway, Millmerran Woods Road and Wondul Range National Park. It was lifted late Monday night.

An exclusion zone WAS established between the Gore Highway, Millmerran Woods Road and Wondul Range National Park.

Residents in the area are urged to stay up to date with warnings, be prepared to leave if necessary, close their windows and doors and have any respiratory medication accessible if required.

At 12.40am on Tuesday, police advised they had revoked the emergency declaration at Millmerran

The exclusion zone between the Gore Highway, Millmerran Woods Road and Wondul Range National Park has been returned to normal.

“Some residents were evacuated from the area before the PSPA was revoked at 11.45pm. Residents in the area are urged to stay up to date with warnings to ensure they are prepared if circumstances change.

Up to date warnings are available from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services here: https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents

Just after 11pm, the QFES advised there was no immediate danger to residents but they should continue to monitor warnings.

At 11pm on Monday night, the fire was burning between Cabbage Gum Road and Cypress Avenue.

Cypress Garden resident Norm Chapman could see the smoke plume from the Millmerran Woods fire from his doorstep.

Mr Chapman was earlier concerned that the fire will get into the thick Cypress, Ironbark and Hairy Oak scrub that is common in the area.

This threat is made worse as a large amount of this country has not been touched by fire in several years, meaning there will be plenty of fuel to burn.

“They haven’t had a fire down that way for a long time,” Mr Chapman said.

“There was a fire a few weeks ago that came across from the Wondul Range National Park. And into Ironbark Drive, So hopefully that will give them a bit of a break.”

The area is also tinder dry, with temperatures on five of the past nine days reportedly above 39C.

“One of those was 44 degrees,” Mr Chapman said.

Earlier, a QFES spokesman said the “fast-moving” blaze was burning grassland between Millmerran Woods Drive, Oak Street and Cabbage Gum Road.

Properties on Ironbark Drive, Stringybark Road, Bloodwood Avenue, Cabbage Gum Road, Oak Street, Cypress Avenue, Wattle Court, Pine Road were most at risk.

But for now all Mr Chapman can do is watch and wait.

“Looking out the window to the east, the fire is still in the same area that it was this afternoon and there is very little wind,” he said.

“The smoke is just rising up.”