Fire crews have worked through the night to contain a bushfire raging on an idyllic island, desperately trying to get the upper hand before bigger winds hit the popular holiday spot known for its pristine beaches and wildlife.
The fire broke out on Moreton Island, south-east of Bribie Island, in dense national park land near Eastern Beach at 10.30am on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of 20 campers to the western side of the island on the long weekend.
Emergency services sent in 32 fire crews, five aircraft – including water bombers – to try to contain the blaze in Moreton National Park on Sunday.
Smoke from the bushfire has been visible from the Sunshine Coast.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson Jay Lessons said there had been a “really big effort” from multi-agency teams to get a back burn in place on the 37km sand island.
“We do have bigger winds coming in (on Monday) and through to Tuesday and Wednesday, so today is really the day for us to get our back burning operations done,” Mr Lessons said.
Acting Chief Superintendent Neil Parker said fire crews and aircraft were working together to make sure the fire doesn’t jump the telegraph track, “because then we will have communities that could be impacted”.
“We’re working strongly to maintain this break with our crews, and they’ll be working throughout the night,” he said on Sunday.
“They’re burning into the breeze, which is a good way to attack this fire. As a fire comes to the break, they’re back burning towards the fire.”
Tangalooma Resort director David James said the resort was “operating as per normal, no evacuations”.
“There’s been no damage, no injuries,” he said.
“When it first flared up, we had really strong east, southeast winds, and that’s when it took off.
“There have been a lot of back burns and fire breaks across the island after the fires a few years ago. So they’re reaping the rewards from that, a lot of lessons have been learned.”
A favourable wind change on Sunday helped with the backburn, which was within a target area of about 2300 hectares.
There were about 500 people on the island, many visiting for school holidays and the long weekend.
