As the dry season moves into top gear it looks like being a busy and hazardous fire season. Indeed authorities in western Queensland are warning that the fire threat there is the biggest it has been in half a century.
The ABC reports that the official start to the fire danger season has been brought forward because of high fuel load across the region. It all means that residents and travellers alike need to be on their guard.
Inspector Mick Dowie from the Charleville Disaster Management Group says it is particularly important that grey nomads, are aware of risks posed by fire. “Ideally people should be letting property owners know that they are on the property,” he told the ABC. “A lot of these river sites, people can go there without permission and fish and camp but, for their safety and for the peace of mind of the property owner, it’ll be good to let them know ‘we’re going to be down there,’ if there is a fire they will know and can alert them.”
Paul Storrs from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says many landholders in the region haven’t been diligent enough in their preparation.
“The reason we want to prepare is that the conditions now are ideal to prepare for that time and to mitigate or to stop the potential disasters,” he told the ABC. “We’ve got more fuel than we’ve had in 40 or 50 years in some places and the preparation levels for these possible fires is pretty low at this stage.”
