40 Fires Blaze Across Queensland
Firefighters across Queensland are battling 40 blazes. At least more than 100 firemen had been deployed to douse the fires that had burned mostly forest areas due to the high temperature.
The situation is expected to worsen further as authorities warned residents to brace for extreme fire conditions for the next three days as temperature reach the high 30s in parts of western, central and southern Queensland.
The fiery temperature, combined with strong winds, led authorities to increase the fire danger rating to very high from high.
The bulk of the fires are in Ravensbourne, Mundubbera, Chesterton National Park, Greenbank, Grantham and Gayndah. A large blaze has also been reported to hit the Crows Nest National Park, located north of Toowoomba, and at Calliope in central Queensland, which is causing a thick smoke haze over parts of the areas, including Gladstone.
Authorities advised local residents to drive carefully and keep windows and doors shut.
To prevent the further spread of the bushfires, the firefighters strengthened containment lines amid expectation of worst weather conditions by Friday afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) Commissioner Lee Johnson said the fire crew is hopeful that the weather condition will improve to help douse the fire because of anticipated showers and storm activity late Saturday and Sunday.
Western Queensland actually had dry storms and a number of fires started from lightning strikes, Mr Johnson said.
QFRS also reissued fire warnings for residents of the Lockyer Valley region due to a large grass fire in the Lockyer State Forest in Grantham. The Bureau of Meteorology likewise issued a severe fire danger warning for Birdsville residents in Queensland's west as the temperature is forecast to reach 36 degrees and winds at 40 kilometres an hour. In the state's southwest, the places to watch are Windorah, Bedourie and Thargomindah due to a fire tornado spotted on Saturday and forecasts of temperatures as high as 41 degrees and winds of up to 35 kilometres per hour.