Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Qld warned to get ready for more bushfires
With the fire danger forecast to be high and very high in most of Queensland by the weekend, residents are being urged to prepare their properties.
August 16, 2018
Queenslanders are being warned to prepare for bushfires as the weekend approaches, with the threat forecast to be high and very high in most of the state.
Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford says the bushfire season has already arrived and people need to be on alert.
“Fires can start anywhere at any time so it is important for all of us to be prepared,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr Crawford called on residents to mow their lawns and remove clippings, wood piles or green waste from their yards.
“Households should also have a bushfire survival plan so they know … what action to take if threatened by a bushfire,” he said.
Mr Crawford urged rural property owners to reduce fuel loads and ensure firebreaks were free of vegetation.
Across Queensland, firefighters battled more than 240 bushfires in the past week.
Fires near Roma, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Toowoomba on Wednesday kept emergency services busy.
While on the weekend, fires at Tallegalla, Mutdapilly, Ballandean and Linville, in the state’s southeast, threatened properties and burned through hundreds of hectares.