October 21, 2012
Smoke around the Kingaroy area on Saturday was caused by a fire burning out of control for several hours on a farm on Couchmans Road.
Owners Chris and Rob Patch said the winds whipped up sparks from a previous controlled burn completed a few days earlier by a neighbour.
“He’d checked it but unfortunately there was a spark and I’d say a whirlywind (and it) quickly started on our farm,” Chris said.
“The struggle was to keep it from reaching a neighbour’s property.
“Unfortunately it was too much for us to handle so we called the fire brigade about 3:00pm. They worked at putting it out until 7:30pm.
“We then received a phone call from a neighbour about 10:00pm to say it had started again! The fire fighters were called again and left around 1:00am.
“Rob has been back and forth with the water truck keeping spot fires under control.”
Chris said the area had been earmarked for a future burn but the family would have preferred it to have occurred with more control.
They were also anxious to keep the flames away from their crop of wheat.
“We’re very safe when it comes to control burning but when something is out of control it is very frightening,” Rob said.
Rob and Chris wanted to pass on their appreciation and thanks to the fire brigade and rural firefighters for their help, and stressed the important role firies play in the local community.
- Related article: Fire Burns Close To Homes
