Living on the edge: NQ communities have now spent a whole week dodging fires
Days after fleeing their homes, people have been told it is still not safe to return as bushfires continue to burn in central Queensland.
North Queensland was also impacted by a fast moving blaze, with authorities at one stage on Thursday asking residents near Mareeba to prepare to evacuate.
Authorities issued a “not safe to return” alert early on Friday for Oyster Creek near Gladstone, with firefighters continuing to battle a blaze that has burned through more than 3000 hectares since Sunday.
The blaze is burning between Oyster Creek Rd and Muller Rd, affecting properties between Uxbridge Rd, Oyster Creek Rd, Muller Rd, Coast Rd, and Kirchner Rd.
“If you left the area, it is not safe to return,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said in the alert.
Similar warnings are current for Deepwater where the fire is burning between Muller Rd and Capricornia Drive, with properties between Capricornia Drive, Pacific Drive, Oceania Court, Muller Rd and Sorensen Rd affected.
Police and SES crews have helped move residents to safety in recent days and one house has been destroyed since the fire began earlier this week.
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The Miriam Vale Community Centre and Rosedale Hotel are open as shelters for affected residents.
Firefighters have been battling all week to control a bushfire in central Queensland’s Deepwater region near Gladstone that has burned through more than 3000 hectares since Sunday.
Firefighters with water-bomber aerial support again worked through the evening, with about 20 crews trying to contain the large blaze that was burning between Oyster Creek Road and Pacific Drive on Thursday night.
Police and SES helped Deepwater residents to safety when they were forced to leave their homes on Tuesday night.
With one house destroyed, QFES warned on Thursday that it was still not safe for them to return as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.
Miriam Vale Community Centre and Rosedale Hotel have been opened as refuges for people in need of shelter.
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“As quickly as possible, as soon as it is safe we will open it up for people to come home,” Paul Storrs of the QFES told reporters.
In north Queensland, a prepare to leave warning was issued to residents at Granite Creek near Mareeba but has since been cancelled after conditions eased, QFES said.
In the past 24 hours crews have battled 54 fires across the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology said challenging conditions still lay ahead.
There is currently a high fire danger rating for much of central and western Queensland, with no cool change in sight.
“Heading into the weekend we are expecting a warming trend almost state-wide,” a bureau spokesperson told AAP.
“That will start to raise those fire dangers. It will still be quite challenging firefighting conditions this weekend.”
Warming trends are set to continue through to early next week.
While central Queensland will be heating up, it won’t be the worst-hit area.
The bureau said southern inland towns Charleville, Roma, Goondiwindi and St George looked set to cop the most significant temperatures.
“By the middle of next week we are looking at maximum temperatures rising to about 40 degrees for those locations and that’s about 10 degrees above average,” the bureau said.
