Conditions ease for tired fireys

Bushfires contained in our region

EASING weather conditions will give fatigued firefighters a well-earned break after more than a week of intense battling bushfires across the region.

A total fire ban for the southwest region was lifted last night but authorities are warning residents against becoming complacent about their personal and property safety.

Rural Fire Service Acting Area Director John Welke said fires could still “ignite and spread rapidly”.

“We’re still enforcing restrictions on permits to light fires,” he said.

“Just because today is a better day than yesterday, it doesn’t mean the fire danger has stopped for the rest of summer.

“We are only in the first week of summer and people’s preparation plans need to be thorough and current for the entire bushfire season.”

All fires subject to public bulletins from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services for the region have been pushed behind containment lines which were last night holding.

More than 2300 hectares at Karara was razed and while the fire had threatened some property, no life or structures were lost, Mr Welke said.

A forestry fire at Mount Luke, north of Toowoomba, was extensively waterbombed on Monday, containing it to the Geham forest area, with 23 crews responding.

Mr Welke thanked responding crews and HQ Plantations - the largest plantation company in Queensland which owned the land - for the support containing the fire.

“All in all the crews have had their morale lift a bit with no loss of life or reported loss of infrastructure,” Mr Welke said.

“Certainly crews are, after a long week, starting to feel a little fatigued.”

Mr Welke said fires larger than 2m required permits. Anyone wanting information should see ruralfire.qld.gov.au.