The bushfires raging in Queensland aren’t getting any better, with authorities warning of continuing “unimaginable” conditions.
There are over 100 fires currently burning in QLD, with thousands of people already evacuated.
The worst of the blazes have been in the Deepwater region, where a “leave now” warning is in place. Residents in the Dalrymple Heights, Winfield, Carmila and Captain Creek have also been warned to remain alert.
“Our danger time is in the afternoon when the heat picks up, so we really need all of our residents across Queensland…to make sure they have the radio close by, they’re watching television because if we ask you to leave, you will need to leave very, very quickly” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“We are not out of it yet. This is huge job with five more days of intense weather.”
Ms Palaszcuzk also noted that the extreme conditions had taken their toll on firefighters, with 15 so far being taken out as a result of fatigue and heat stress.
“They have been out there for 14-hour shifts,” she said, adding that “you could see the fatigue in their eyes.”
A fireman monitors the blaze in Deepwater
The fire’s, which have been burning since last week, have claimed two houses, two cabins and 15 sheds, a number which Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said “easily could have been much greater.”
“…We’ve got high winds that come in, we’ve got all of those dry temperatures, and it’s really having a big impact on our landscape across Queensland” said Ms Carroll.
Check out footage of the blazes below
100 extra firefighters from NSW & the ACT will arrive in QLD today to help tackle the fires, which are slowly coming under control.
Despite the “unimaginable” conditions Ms Carroll noted that “due to all the proactive conducted over the last several days, we have lost a minimal amount of houses, thankfully.”
Despite property losses, the work of the QLD RFS and other fire crews have seen whole towns saved that were cut off by the fires.
