Coast firies on high alert
MONDAY will be D-Day for Gold Coast firefighters as soaring temperatures and hot winds create a dangerous cocktail for blazes.
As emergency crews battle dozens of fires in Central Queensland, Coast crews are bracing for 36-degree temperatures early next week.
Rural Fire Service bushfire education officer Len Jeavons said crews would be on high alert over the warm weekend.
“The fire danger is very high over the weekend,” he said. “Monday could be another blow-up day, particularly in the Hinterland because they’re predicting temperatures into the high 30s.
“For this time of the year it’s out of the ordinary. Our fire season traditionally finishes about now and we move into storm season, but we’ve always got enough crews on the Coast to handle things.”
Coast firies have wrestled a number of bushfires already this week.
On Wednesday, fires were possibly sparked by dry lightning strikes during the afternoon’s freak storm.
Four fires burned through the afternoon, coming close to homes at Oxenford, and needed 35 fire crews to bring all of them under control.
The blaze at Oxenford alone required 21 crews.
“It was one of the most challenging days we’ve had in a while,” Mr Gillespie said. “It was a very unusual set of circumstances and there was a number of potentially significant fires that we put a lot of resources on because the weather we experienced was quite phenomenal.”
Last night, fire authorities were considering whether to extend a total fire ban across the Gold Coast.
While they have enough resources to combat any bushfire, the city will welcome back a number of firefighters who travelled to Deepwater in Central Queensland where fastmoving bushfires had gripped the area.
Six Gold Coast appliances and 28 personnel arrived in the fire hot spot on Tuesday and will help local crews until tomorrow.
Alan Gillespie, the Rural Fire Service regional manager for the southeast, said the fire threat was far from over.
“Last year we had a second fire season and that’s not unusual. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened again this year,” he said.
A strong likelihood of El Nino conditions during summer is expected to fuel aboveaverage temperatures and below-average rainfall. Mr Gillespie said despite recent rain the land is still very dry.
Annabelle Ford, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said while the danger had not passed, high humidity would help to reduce the fire risk.
“It’s still a bit dry but on Monday the humidity should be up which makes it more uncomfortable for everyone, but it does help with the fire conditions.”