By Sonia Isaacs
THE Sunshine Coast could be weeks away from dangerous bushfire conditions, with authorities warning heavy fuel loads remain despite recent rain easing the immediate threat.
Rural Fire Service Queensland Sunshine Coast Area Manager, Andrew Allan, said the entire district, from Glass House Mountains to Kin Kin and west to Kenilworth, was carrying significant fuel following several wet years.
“The whole of the coast has a fuel load,” Mr Allan said.
While substantial rain has reduced the immediate threat, Mr Allan warned just a few weeks could quickly transform the landscape.
“We’ve only got to have two or three weeks of no rain at all and some real warm weather with some wind and low humidities – that’s the combination for potential fires, and they can get a little bit erratic,” he said.
The warning comes as Queensland enters its official fire season, with residents urged to prepare properties and update bushfire survival plans while conditions remain favourable.
Mr Allan said several years of consistent rainfall had driven thick grass and vegetation growth across the region, creating a substantial underlying fire risk once conditions dry out.
Recent rainfall, including falls of about 100mm in a single day in some areas, has lowered the short-term risk of fast-moving fires around Maleny, Glass House Mountains and areas closer to the coast.
“Because of the rain, we’re not as concerned now as we were four to six weeks ago,” Mr Allan said.
He said he was “quietly optimistic” fires could be contained relatively quickly over the coming month if current conditions continued.
However, further inland, areas across the Conondale Range towards Kenilworth are considerably drier after missing much of the recent rainfall.
Mr Allan said the sharp difference in conditions meant communities about 50 kilometres inland could face more intense fire behaviour as temperatures rise and vegetation dries.
Residents are being urged to use the current reprieve to reduce potential fuel around their homes, including clearing long grass, leaf litter and other flammable material, cleaning gutters and roofs and trimming vegetation.
Mr Allan also urged people to ensure their bushfire survival plans were up to date and report smoke or fires they were unsure about to Triple Zero (000), rather than assuming somebody else had already called.
Hazard reduction burning is also becoming increasingly difficult.
Mr Allan said it was “probably a bit late” for many landholders to undertake burns, with permit restrictions likely to tighten.
“Now is the time to clean up the yard and get ready,” he said. “We will get fires – the question is how prepared people are when they come.”
