Blaze near town

A fireman emerges from the smoke at a scrub fire in North Bundaberg yesterday.

Scottie Simmonds

A GRASSFIRE charred about 24 hectares of grass and scrub in North Bundaberg yesterday, in a warning sign of a serious fire season to come.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Bundaberg acting station officer Chris Sheather said the blaze, in a large paddock near the soccer grounds in Queen Street, took about four hours to extinguish.

“It shows that there's a high risk as things start drying out with warmer weather,” Mr Sheather said.

“It was quite difficult to control despite the wet grass around.

“It's a good example of how early in the season fires can start.”

He said nine firefighters from Bundaberg and Moore Park Beach managed to bring the flames under control.

“There was no threat to property, but there was a significant amount of smoke,” Mr Sheather said.

He said some residents and drivers were affected by the smoke for a short time, as it blew across North Bundaberg, but nobody was injured.

It is not known what sparked the fire, but it was put out by about 4pm.