Firies urge residents to comply with bans

EXHAUSTED fire crews have pleaded with people to respect fire bans as they struggle to keep up with the blazes ravaging the district.

Following the devastation of the bushfires at Gaeta, and battling four fires yesterday alone, the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to heed the total fire ban in the Bundaberg Regional Council area, which has been extended until midnight on Friday.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Bundaberg station officer Trevor Duncan said since the ban was in place, they had been called out to fires which may have been lit deliberately.

“We’ve had a number of backyard fires which have been extinguished before we got there,” he said.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service rural fire operations manager Tony Johnstone said he could not comment on whether any of the fires crews attended yesterday had been deliberately lit.

Mr Johnstone said as well as the fire near the Main Roads Depot on Quay Street, Rural Fire Brigade crews had attended a fire on the side of Gayndah Road about 10km south of Mt Perry, which was contained with fire crews still monitoring the lines in the evening.

The Gregory River Rural Fire Brigade was called to a fire on Goodwood Road at about 11.30am.

Mr Johnstone said a small area on the roadside was burnt before the crew could extinguish it.

And about 11.30am, rural crews were called to a fire in Tirroan Road, Gin Gin, which was still being attended to last night.

Mr Johnstone said with the warm and dry days, it was important to remember the fire bans, and fire stations would not be issuing permits during the total fire ban.

Mr Duncan said people needed to be aware of what the ban entailed.

“Total fire ban means anything that represents a naked flame, including a wood fire barbecue and burning rubbish in the backyard,” he said.

Gas-lit barbecues are not included in the exemption.

Mr Duncan said offenders faced an infringement notice, fines or prosecution. For more information on fire bans visit www.fire.qld.gov.au or contact your local fire station. 

Related: Fire surrounds Main Roads building

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