RESIDENTS in the Jimboomba area are urged to be vigilant as south-east Queensland experiences very high fire danger levels.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a top of 31 degrees for Brisbane on Thursday, before temperatures drop again on Friday.
Rural Fire Services operations director Gary McCormack said the community needed to take extra care and be alert as warm temperatures combined with low humidity created dangerous fire conditions.
“There is a lot of vegetation out there, particularly in those areas that were affected by flooding as a result of ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie,” he said.
“On top of this, recent severe frosts, particularly in the Scenic Rim, have dried out grasslands significantly.
“Under these conditions, unattended or mismanaged fires may create sparks and cause fires to spread quickly, so we’re asking people to be on the lookout and report any vegetation fires to triple zero (000) immediately.”
Mr McCormack said land owners planning to light fires to reduce fuel loads on their properties must first contact their local fire warden to obtain a permit.
“Under heightened fire conditions, it only takes one unauthorised burn to get out of hand to threaten lives and properties,” he said.
“The permit to light fire system is in place to ensure burns are conducted during appropriate weather conditions and managed safely.”
Information on bushfire season preparation, fire wardens and bushfire survival plans is available at ruralfire.qld.gov.au.
