QLD INFERNO: Water Bombers Finally Tame 900-Hectare Runaway Bushfire After Two Weeks of HELL – But New ‘PREPARE TO LEAVE’ Warnings Are Issued as a Second Blaze Started by an Illegal Campfire DECIMATES a Popular Tourist Island
- A massive, runaway bushfire that has terrorised a Queensland community for nearly two weeks has finally been brought under control after a desperate aerial assault.
- Water bombers and helicopters were called in to fight the 900-hectare inferno near Blackbutt, which raged since late September.
- But the danger is far from over, with new ‘Prepare to Leave’ warnings issued for other out-of-control fires as the state’s horror bushfire season ramps up.
- In a shocking development, a second major fire has now scorched more than 2000 hectares of pristine national park on tourist hotspot Moreton Island – believed to have been started by a reckless campfire during a total fire ban.
Firefighters have finally won a desperate, two-week battle against a monster bushfire that scorched nearly a thousand hectares of land in Queensland’s Wide Bay region, with water-bombing aircraft called in to tame the runaway inferno.
The blaze at Gilla, near Blackbutt, ignited on September 28 and tore through the landscape, forcing exhausted crews to call for aerial support to bring the fast-moving flames under control. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) confirmed on Thursday the 900-hectare fire has finally been contained, but crews remain on the blackened ground, working frantically to prevent any flare-ups.
But there is no relief in sight for the rest of the state, with the new bushfire season exploding to life as multiple other dangerous fires burn and total fire bans are slapped across huge swathes of Queensland.
In a terrifying new threat, a ‘Prepare to Leave’ warning has now been issued for a large, slow-moving fire in the Wide Bay Burnett region, with residents in the path of the blaze told to get ready for possible evacuation at a moment’s notice.
Further chaos has erupted on the popular tourist destination of Moreton Island, where a separate bushfire has decimated more than 2,000 hectares of precious National Parkland.
In a shocking revelation, authorities believe the devastating blaze was sparked by an illegal campfire lit by reckless campers during an active fire ban.
QFES has issued a stark warning to all residents in fire-risk zones, urging them to follow their bushfire survival plans and stay alert as the hot, dry, and windy conditions create a tinderbox environment where fires can ignite and spread with terrifying speed.
There is little hope of any natural relief on the horizon. The latest weather forecasts show no significant rain is expected to fall on the parched landscape until at least October 13, leaving communities on edge and firefighters bracing for a long and brutal battle ahead.