Extract from ABC News
ABC News Homepage
Catastrophic fire danger has been declared for parts of Queensland, as the country enters a warm, dry spring — the first since 2020.
Key points:
- Catastrophic fire danger will apply to Darling Downs and Granite Belt from Monday
- Large parts of the country are on high bushfire alert going into spring
- The Bureau has not forecast a dry spring for three years
From Monday, the most extreme fire danger warning will apply to the Darling Downs and the Granite Belt.
Large swathes of eastern and central Australia are already on high alert this spring, after the country's warmest winter on record.
This will also be the first dry spring predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology since 2020, after three years of high rainfall built up fuel loads, increasing the fire risk.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFS) chief superintendent Tony Johnstone said it was the first catastrophic fire warning in some time.
"What it means with catastrophic [rating], is fires may be very uncontrollable, and resources may actually have to stand back and let things burn until it actually gets to a safe place," he said.
The rating means lives are likely to be lost if there is a fire.
Heightened fire danger has also been declared for the Maranoa and Warrego area, as well as parts of central and north-west Queensland.
Mr Johnstone said there had been several fires in the state over the weekend.
"This year, we're seeing more and more grass fires escalate quickly, and as we saw yesterday at a number of jobs we had to respond really quickly to keep those grass fires small," he said.
People in bushfire risk areas are encouraged to leave.
But everybody should be aware of the conditions, Mr Johnstone said.
"People on the land are probably aware of the hot conditions and are prepared for it," he said.
"But it's the bystanders and the other people that actually travelling through that need to be aware of the situation.
"We need people to get out of the way of the fire appliances so those appliances can get to the job really quickly, without being obstructed.
"And if you're coming up to smoke, don't slow down, that could be a firefighter or someone else actually working on the side of the road and we'd hate for you to be involved in a catastrophic event."
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