Plantations are forced to close
HINTERLAND forests are being targeted in daily arson attacks with four blazes being treated by police as suspicious including last weekend’s devastating Landsborough fires that forced evacuations and at one point threatened Australia Zoo.
The spate of almost daily arson attacks has forced HQPlantations (HQP) to announce the immediate closure of Beerburrum and the Glasshouse Mountains forests. With over 40 significant fires including at least 30 arson attacks since the commencement of fire season, HQP has closed all its plantation forests in Queensland to the general public until further notice.
HQP Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Stephanie Hunt, said current conditions, taking into account long term soil and vegetation dryness, strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity was making it extremely difficult to extinguish fires, even when attended to quickly.
She acknowledged that in the past Beerburrum forest has been identified as a national ‘arson hotpot’ and while the research might be old, the findings were still relevant with HQP currently dealing with an almost daily occurrence of arson attacks.
“Due to a spate of arson attacks, we are declaring a plantation-wide closure until the arsonists are caught. HQP is also in the process of forming an arson task force with key agencies,” she said.
A Queensland Police Service (QPS) spokesperson confirmed while the September 18 Beerwah Fire had no evidence to indicate it was deliberately lit and the matter was now finalised, the cause of the October 21 Beerwah fire that burnt through 380 hectares, is still being treated as suspicious. They also confirmed that there had been a total of three vegetation fires over the last three months that remain under investigation.
“The October 21 Beerwah fire is being treated as suspicious and investigations are continuing; no arrests or charges have yet been made. Three vegetation fires over the last three months remain under investigation. The cause of each of those fires is yet to be determined,” they said.
