Dry and windy conditions spark bush blazes across region
FIRE tore through hundreds of hectares of grazing country and inaccessible bushland at Goomboorian on Wednesday night, and the blaze was still burning but under control last night.
Local firefighting crews also raced to battle a fire north-west of Gympie yesterday afternoon when another large bushfire started near Glen Echo.
With rising temperatures expected to herald the start of summer this weekend, firefighters will be on alert into next week, when temperatures could reach as high as 38 degrees.
The Goomboorian fire started just before noon in 32-degree heat and went on to destroy fences and more than 160ha of land between Mullins Creek and Buchanan Rds.
No houses, sheds or stock were lost but the inferno came within metres of several homes fronting Mullins Creek Rd.
Dry conditions, heat and a 30kmh, north-easterly wind combined to send the flames racing up a slope into privately owned bushland and state forest after it broke out near Mullins Creek Rd. Nobody knows the cause of the fire.
Property owner Kate Grennan was home alone when she saw the flames racing towards the tree line on a neighbouring property and rang rural fire services.
"It was really scary," she said yesterday.
"I packed my bags and got out of there."
The Grennans own 20ha off Mullins Creek Rd and the fire burnt three quarters of their property, miraculously sparing a shed.
Ms Grennan said she believed there had not been a fire through the area for as long as three decades and, with their property getting 500mm of rain in one night earlier this year, there was plenty of fuel.
"We've had flood and fire; what's next?" she said.
Ten rural fire trucks and three urban trucks spent Wednesday afternoon battling the blaze.
A bulldozer created containment lines near Mullins Creek Rd and cleared pathways for fire trucks to get closer.
Meanwhile, firefighters also battled blazes at Tagigan Rd, Wolvi Mountain and Tiaro on Wednesday, and they were last night fighting a large bushfire near Glen Echo on Miva Rd.
