Bushfire bearing down on town
BUSHFIRES were last night breathing down the neck of Irvinebank residents.
The town west of Herberton is the latest community to be affected by fires burning out of control near Watsonville for the past 13 days.
An alert issued late yesterday said the fire heading in the direction of Irvinebank is “likely to impact” the town.
Homes in the Walsh River area were threatened by the fire, an abandoned house and sheds were lost to the flames late on Sunday, but an estimated 25 homes were saved.
Atherton-based incident controller Superintendent Lawrence Laing of Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) said it was an “amazing effort”.
Yesterday afternoon residents living on Walsh River Rd between Bischoff Mill Rd and the Christian Community Centre were advised by Queensland Fire and Emergency Service to evacuate and follow bushfire survival plans.
QFES and police have been doorknocking in the area since Saturday morning.
Alerts from QFES said the fast moving fire travelling in a westerly direction towards Walsh River could have “significant impact” on residents.
Conditions eased later on Sunday afternoon and the bushfire was said to be travelling slowly in a north-westerly direction along the Walsh River late on Sunday.
A command centre has been established at Watsonville from which QFES, Queensland Rural Fire Service teams and staff from the Department of Natural Resources have been briefed.
A resident of Bischoff Mill Rd said the fire on Sunday jumped the Walsh River and he held grave concerns for farms on both sides of the river.
He said fires start every year but he had never seen one as large as this. Yesterday morning a fire travelling from Whites Track was heading in a north-westerly direction towards Irvinebank township.
Sue McFarlane from the Irvinebank Tavern said a perimeter around the town had been graded to create a buffer but the town was not concerned by the fire threat despite 30km/h winds fanning the blaze from the south.
“They have been through fire before, they all pull together and if it gets bad enough we will all go and fight the front,” she said. Ms McFarlane said aircraft have been buzzing overhead for the past few days however access to the east had not yet been cut. Watch video from the scene and follow regular updates *Competition runs Monday, 10th September until Friday, 5th October 2018. For full terms and conditions go to: cairnspost.com.au/competitions.