March 20, 2018
Residents in Gympie, Toowoomba and Somerset council areas will be banned from lighting certain types of fires from next Monday to lower the risk to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Fire permit restrictions will be imposed from 12:01am Monday, March 26, to 11:59pm Friday, April 20 in 14 Local Government Areas: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay, Logan, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.
The South Burnett Regional Council area will not be affected.
Under the restrictions, residents or landholders seeking to burn vegetation will not be granted permits.
Permits previously issued in the specified areas during the restriction period will also be cancelled.
Rural Fire Service Acting Assistant Commissioner Gary McCormack said the restrictions were intended to prevent smoke and ash affecting Games venues and transport corridors.
“Fortunately, recent rainfall has helped to increase soil moisture and bless us with a green landscape,” Mr McCormack said.
“This means the bushfire threat in the coming weeks is low. However, we will impose fire permit restrictions as a precautionary measure to further minimise the risk of a fire taking hold.”
Mr McCormack said some fires would still be permitted under the restrictions, including fires less than two metres in any direction.
“A fire lit outdoors for the purpose of cooking or warmth is also permitted, as long as it is enclosed in a fireplace constructed to stop the fire escaping,” he said.
“Campfires go hand-in-hand with camping and we know that many people like to escape to the bush or beach on a camping trip at this time of year.
“The key is to ensure you start, maintain and extinguish your campfire safely and correctly.
“Never leave a campfire unattended and always use water to extinguish it.”
Other fires permitted within the restriction period are fires lit for the purpose of burning the carcass of a beast and fires lit at a sawmill for the purpose of burning sawdust or other residue resulting from the operation of a sawmill.
