- QFES says 80 fires are still burning in Queensland
- Three emergency warnings in force in Western Downs
- So far, thirty-five homes have been lost to the spring fires
Dozens of homes have been lost to 80 bushfires currently raging in Queensland, with firefighters fearing strong winds could hamper efforts to control the chaos.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) confirmed on Saturday that there are 80 bushfires burning in the state.
So far 35 houses have been lost.
Shocking footage from an RACQ Lifeflight helicopter has captured several bushfires burning throughout the night in Tara, in the Western Downs region.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) confirmed on Saturday that 80 bushfires were burning across the state, with the loss of 35 homes so far
Multiple alerts have been sent out throughout the morning urging residents to prepare to leave or avoid smoke. Several urgent warnings were issued to parts of the Western Downs and Gladstone region last night.
Incident Controller Inspector Kent Barron said the Tara fire was of particular concern. Firefighters across Queensland have been called in to control the blaze, with crews using aircraft and observation platforms to observe the flames.
Two emergency warnings have been issued for the rural town and surrounding areas of The Gums and Wieambilla.
Inspector Barron said the flames were close to residential areas, with Saturday’s forecast winds potentially causing problems for fires on the ground.
“Yesterday (Friday) we had some really strong winds that really blew the fires in a northwesterly direction,” he said.
‘When we have pimples, they move very quickly under these conditions.
‘We have similar conditions today, the wind is coming from the same direction. We hope it won’t be as strong, but we’ll keep a close eye on the weather.”
Three emergency warnings have been issued in Queensland’s Western Downs region
From 8.56am, people living between Suttons Road, Ellerslie Land Road, Blackburns Road and McCaskers Road, including Werona Roa in Tara and The Gums, have been told to evacuate. A similar warning was issued at 8.34am for Tara and Wieambilla, including homes on Blackburns Road, Wieambilla Road, Chinchilla Tara Road and Upper Humbug Road.
Watch and law notices have also been issued for the areas surrounding the zones. As firefighters work hard to bring the blazes under control, emergency services have warned that conditions could deteriorate without notice.
‘You shouldn’t expect a fireman at your door. Firefighting aircraft are assisting ground crews,” the QFES said.
North of the state, residents living in homes between Lowmead Road and Fingerboard Road were also urged to leave immediately due to a fast-moving fire, according to an update issued at 2.01am.
North-westerly and westerly winds will drag the heat into the south of the country, with temperatures in NSW and the Sydney basin rising to 35 degrees Celsius from Monday.
A similar situation will hit Queensland from Tuesday, increasing the fire danger again.
“Many other areas (in NSW are) still quite dry, and so any fires that move through will spread quickly across the landscape,” Sky New meteorologist Rob Sharpe said.
He said it would be cooler in the southeast on Wednesday as the heat returns to the north and west of the country.
While there are still 49 active bushfires in NSW, Mr Sharpe said the risk on the Mid-North Coast would not be “as concerning” due to wet ground resulting from back-to-back days of significant rain.
NSW RFS ground crews and aircraft will continue to monitor the fires this weekend, with residents urged to monitor advice for details of changing conditions.