More than 80 firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the night to contain a raging bushfire that threatened homes and a gasworks in Coolum on Thursday.
The fire started just north of the Coolum roundabout on the Sunshine Motorway and while the local fire crews attended what was then a small grass fire, larger crews were called to a traffic accident about one kilometre north.
In an interview with ABC radio this morning, Queensland Fire and Rescue Acting Inspector Archie Andrews said the blaze spread north while crews were assisting with the car crash.
“By the time they finished (at the crash) the fire had escalated into a situation that was unable to be contained or controlled,” he said.
Winds then blew embers over the motorway and pushed the fire north-west towards the Coolum industrial estate, the Elgas plant and the Ridges Estate in Peregian Springs.
Mr Andrews said extra crews were sent to the Elgas facility.
“When the crews got there, embers were just showering the facility,” he said.
“We had to evacuate and notify all the businesses in that area so they could stop operations and be prepared for what was coming.”
Mr Andrews said it would have been “catastrophic” if the fire had reached the Elgas site.
“But, due to the quick action of the crews and the officers-in-charge there, they put cooling sprays onto all the major bullets (LPG tanks) and the facility,” he said.
As the fire spread north, “a few” houses were evacuated as a precaution and fire crews began back-burning to help contain the fire.
Fire crews worked until about 1am this morning (20 January) to contain the fire and while it is now under control, anyone driving along the Sunshine Motorway can now see the more than 540 hectares of smouldering bushlands.
A thick haze is still present along the motorway so anyone with a respiratory condition is advised to seek medical attention and keep doors and windows closed until the haze clears.
Motorists should drive with caution and to conditions as smoke can decrease visibility on the road. Residents are advised to call triple-zero if they feel their property is under threat.
A statement from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) the next day said multiple QFES and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) crews remained on scene at a vegetation fire burning between Heron Road and the Sunshine Motorway, Coolum.
The was under control, and firefighters would continue to strengthen control lines and monitor the situation.
Aerial operations were also taking place, monitoring and extinguishing flare-ups.
Police and fire investigators would be on the scene to determine whether the fire was deliberately lit. Mr Andrews said there was no obvious natural cause, such as lightning, that could have started the blaze.
