Rural residents in the Western Downs region, Queensland, should leave immediately due to dangerous fires burning, according to emergency warnings on Oct. 24.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) issued a warning at 2:14 p.m., urging Cypress Gardens and Millmerran Downs residents to leave due to a large, fast-moving fire burning near Orchid Drive.
The warning area included properties between Kakadu Avenue, Gore Highway, Millmerran Woods Drive and Wombinebong Drive, including Begonia Road and Violet Road.
“It is expected to impact Millmerran Woods drive very soon,” the warning said.
Conditions could worsen quickly, properties could be impacted, and firefighters may be unable to stop the fire from getting closer.
Meanwhile, an evacuation centre is at the Millmerran Showgrounds, 171 Millmerran Cecil Plains Road, Millmerran.
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QFES issued another warning at 3:02 p.m. for Tara, Wieambilla, Kogan, Goranba and Weranga residents to leave due to a large, fast-moving fire burning between Tara and Wieambilla.
“It is expected to impact Wieambilla, Goranba and Weranga very soon,” the warning said.
There is another evacuation centre at the Western Downs Regional Council customer contact centre, corner of Fry Street and Day Street, Tara.
Meanwhile, Millmerran Woods, Millmerran Downs and Cypress Gardens residents were told it is unsafe to return to the areas due to a fire near Primrose Drive, travelling towards Waratah Drive.
Firefighting aircraft are helping ground crews.
5 Homes Lost
Five homes in the Millmerran and Tara towns were lost in the fires, and no one was injured, but crews continue to watch about ten other structures.A QFES superintendent said, “It is hard if our appliances cannot reach your house. It is essential to ensure you have numbering on your gate, and we can drive the appliance up to your house and around your house to get access to your water supply. Help us to help you in your time of need,”
QFES superintended Wayne Waltisbuhl told ABC News the bushfire at Tara is out of control.
“The fire is running hard. The best we can do is ensure people are safe and out of harm’s way. We’re starting to work along the edges of the fire with some containment strategy,” Mr. Waltisbuhl said.
“Evacuations are occurring, with more expected throughout the day,” he said.
However, he said the Millmerran bushfire was slowly coming under control.
“Unfortunately, we did lose a few structures there [Millmerran] yesterday,” where conditions were “terrible” and would deteriorate further during the week.
“But we were able to save quite a number as well,” he said.
“We can see high temperatures and low humidities, which are just drying out the fuel and fire behaviour is quite erratic at the moment,” he said.
Follow the Advice, Council Mayor Says
Queensland Police door-knocked the area on Oct. 23, urging residents to leave amid the danger, with more told to go on Oct. 24.Western Downs Council Mayor Paul McVeigh called on his community to follow police and QFES advice, adding, “We do not want to lose a life. Structures can be replaced.”
Mr. McVeigh told ABC Breakfast, “We have a major situation with power lines down. There are over 360 residents without power.”
He added firefighting resources, and firefighters needed help with capacity between Tara, Kogan, and Millmerran.
“We have to share some of the capacity to fight these fires, so it’s a critical situation across our community. Everyone is doing their best to contain this fire,” he said.
Meanwhile, hot, dry weather will continue into the weekend, according to QFES.
Extreme Weather Forecast in the State
However, thunderstorms could be possible in inland southern and central Queensland on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland.The storms are not expected to be severe but may bring small hail and gusty winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology also revealed a severe weather outlook for Queensland in 2023 after recently declaring El Nino weather patterns had arrived.
Subsequently, the state government urged Queenslanders to implement three simple steps to prepare for bushfires, storms, floods and heatwaves on Oct. 9: understand risks, prepare a household emergency plan, and pack an emergency kit.
Almost half of all Queenslanders prepared their homes and families, understood how extreme weather can interrupt their lives, planned what to do, and had safety and comfort supplies, according to the government.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland is the most disaster-affected state in Australia.
“Queensland has been on high alert for bushfires for many weeks now, with our fire services working hard to contain several large burns around the state,” Mr. Miles said.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson Laura Boekel added severe weather is unpredictable and can happen at any time of the year in Queensland.
“So it’s important to stay updated with the latest forecast and warnings on the Bureau’s website or the BOM Weather app,” Ms. Boekel said.
She said extreme weather would likely increase heatwaves and fire dangers over the coming months.
