Fire ban issued for SEQ ahead of long weekend

Residents of all south-east Queensland councils, including Brisbane, will be banned from lighting open fires from Thursday until the end of the coming long weekend, amid conditions described as “perfect for bushfires”.

The ban would cover the local government areas of Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Ipswich, Logan, Scenic Rim, Brisbane, Noosa, Moreton Bay, Redland, and the Sunshine and Gold coasts, the Queensland Fire Department said on Tuesday afternoon.

It said conditions in the region were “perfect for bushfires to ignite and spread quickly”.

Hazard burns across south-east Queensland will also be paused until next week.Credit: Queensland Fire Department

The department said a fire ban would also be in place in the southern Queensland councils of Toowoomba, Southern Downs, Western Downs and Goondiwindi, beginning from Wednesday.

On Monday, residents were told to evacuate homes on Mount Nebo Road as a bushfire tore through scrubland near Enoggera Reservoir on Brisbane’s north-western fringe.

While residents had been advised they could “return with caution” at 3.30pm on Monday, smouldering trees and hotspots remained.

The next morning, four crews remained at the fire, which was first reported near Betts Road in Camp Mountain.

“Under a local fire ban, all open fires are prohibited and all permits to light fires which have been issued in the designated area have been suspended for the duration of the ban,” the department said.

It also advised against using power tools, but said the ban did not prohibit their use.

“Ensure adequate equipment is available to extinguish any fire which may start [from power tool use],” the department said.

“This may include having a person available to watch out for any ignitions that occur.”

Hazard burns in the affected areas will be paused until next week.

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