Firies warn of horror season

Queensland Times

IPSWICH'S rural firefighters have warned a massive build-up of vegetation combined with an early start to summer could be the recipe for our worst wildfire season in 10 years.

With no major wildfires since 2004 and heavy rainfall earlier this year, large amounts of fuel have built up in Ipswich's bushland areas.

Ripley Valley Rural Fire Brigade second officer George Ganzenmuller said it was not a matter of if, but when fires storm across Ipswich.

“Our fears are that it will be this year,” Mr Ganzenmuller said.

“The build-up of fuel has been significant and all it takes sometimes is for someone to throw a cigarette butt out the window of a car.”

Temperatures approaching 35 degrees today and 32 tomorrow have added to firefighters' concerns.

The window of opportunity for hazard reduction burns seems to be closing rapidly.

The burning of 600 hectares of bushland at Springfield at the weekend is perhaps the best indication of how seriously rural firefighters are approaching the coming fire season.

Ripley Valley RFB fire warden Jim Runham and representatives of the Springfield Land Corporation worked together to plan the massive hazard reduction burn at Springfield, which involved 30 firefighters.

Described as the largest undertaken in a many years, the burn was designed to take out six years worth of unwanted undergrowth including lantana and other weeds.

Preparations for the burnoff included creating 16km of new bush tracks to ensure the fires could be isolated into individual sections - for safety purposes.

“Hundreds of hours go into planning these hazard reduction burns,” Mr Ganzenmuller said.

He said property owners wanting to conduct hazard reduction burns on private land should seek assistance from their local rural fire brigade.

Fire wardens in most rural areas are able to provide advice and landowners have been seriously warned against going it alone given the current conditions.

Mr Ganzenmuller said people living in Ipswich's bushier suburbs should be checking their gutters for build-up of leaves and should also remove rubbish and vegetation from around the house.

“People also need to have a serious look at the trees around the house as well,” he said.

“You really shouldn't have any large trees within 10 metres of the house.”

More information is available on the Ripley Valley website at www.ripleyvalleyruralfire.org.au.