Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) has extended a local fire ban for South Eastern Region residents.
The local fire ban will be extended until 11.59pm Monday 7 December for residents in the Logan, Scenic Rim, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Gold Coast local government areas.
Heightened conditions are perfect for bushfires to ignite and spread quickly.
Under a local fire ban all open fires are prohibited (subject to exemptions) and all Permits to Light Fire which have been issued in the designated areas have been cancelled.
Power tools may be used during a local fire ban however QFES encourages people to use these with extreme care and ensure adequate equipment is available to extinguish any fire which may start. This may include having a person available to watch out for any ignitions that occur.
Fires lit for the purpose of cooking or providing warmth are allowed however must be used within a properly constructed vessel (such as barbecue, pizza oven, fire pit) where the fire cannot escape or cause embers to drift.
Fires lit for the purpose of providing warmth are allowed between 6pm – 6am provided they are lit within a properly constructed receptacle (such as fire pit and brazier) within a suburban backyard and are not larger than 1m x 1m x 0.5m. Fires must not be left unattended and a firefighting device (such as a garden hose or extinguisher) must be available.
Fires lit for the purpose of disposal of animal carcasses or for commercial necessity are permitted subject to the issue of a Permit to Light Fire by the Chief Fire Warden.
Fires lit for the purpose of burning standing cane for harvest (between 6pm – 5am) or burning tops and trash (between 6pm – 9am) is permitted once a permit to burn has been obtained from the local fire warden for those blocks of cane that require a Permit to Burn.
Information on fire bans and the exemptions that can apply can be found on the Rural Fire Service (RFS) website, www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au.
