Fraser island smothered in raging ‘apocalyptic’ bushfire

Several bushfires raging on Queensland‘s Fraser Island are wafting ‘apocalyptic’ billows of smoke into the air as locals struggle to breathe.  

Blazes have been ripping through the World Heritage Listed bushland for the past five weeks, blanketing the normally idyllic surrounds in a thick grey fog. 

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has issued a warning to coastal communities between Bundaberg and the Sunshine Coast to drive to conditions and keep medication handy as smoke streams from the island onto the mainland.  

Tasman Venture tour guide Vicki Neville shared a collection of photos on Facebook that she took of the horrific conditions over the weekend.  

Ms Neville said the bushfires were the worst she has ever seen in her 20 years working in the area. 

‘The big cloud was incredible. It was apocalyptic, there was this huge mushroom of smoke,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘There are multiple fires. A lot has been burning, they have been skipping and jumping in different areas. I have never seen fires this widespread.

‘A little bit of burn for the bush is usually good, things do come back a bit better, but this one seems out of control.’

Ms Neville, who lives in Hervey Bay, said the neighbouring coastal city was inundated with a lot of smoke on Monday.

While conditions are better today, she said the huge plume is still cascading above the popular tourist island. 

Ms Neville said she had heard stories from firefighters about animals fleeing the bush to escape.

‘There have been a lot of snakes and dingoes coming out of the bush. Grass hoppers trying to escape are all over them while they are fighting the fires. 

‘But a lot of animals won’t be escaping either. There are a lot of little animals, like reptiles, possums, on the island that will be trapped.’ 

Residents flocked to social media to share images of the frightening scenes, while people in cities along the state’s coastline reported choking on smoke as it drifted onto the mainland. 

‘For weeks now, we’ve been sucking in smoke as K’Gari (Fraser Island) burns out of control,’ one man wrote on Twitter.

‘Why isn’t there a federal rapid response unit to snuff out national park fires, BEFORE they get out of control?’ 

Another man who recently moved to the Sunshine Coast region said his hay fever had been triggered after waking to smoke from the Fraser Island fires on Monday morning. 

Further south, 307km from Fraser Island, a Gold Coast woman said she could smell the smoke from her home in Robina. 

One woman shared a photo to Instagram of Fraser Island’s eerily orange-black horizon as bushfire smoke dominates the sky. 

‘When your day gets turned into night by fire,’ she wrote alongside the image. 

‘As you can see the fires on Fraser Island are still burning. These photos were taken mid afternoon today, not at night.’

‘Thinking of everyone on the island and to all the teams helping to fight these fires, stay safe. 

A Hervey Bay woman posted a photo on Instagram of several fires burning across the island on Sunday.

‘Fraser Island is burning! Heartbreaking sights all along the esplanade all day,’ she said.  

The fires were sparked by an illegally-lit campfire that was not properly extinguished. 

Properties are currently not under threat, but the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has advised residents and visitors to keep up to date on bushfire advice. 

The bushfire has been burning to the north of Moon Point Road East and west of Northern Road.  

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said Queensland Parks and Wildlife crews had undertaken backburning and water bombing operations over the past 48 hours in an attempt to contain and suppress the fire’s movements.

‘This fire has been burning in remote and largely inaccessible parts of the island. Fire is a natural part of the bush landscape and, for the most part, this fire has been burning at an acceptable intensity,’ the spokeswoman said. 

‘QPWS is monitoring the fire and has crews on site. It is currently not a threat to life or property and it has not damaged any infrastructure.’

She added that the majority of the island, including popular visitor sites, remains open and the impact on visitors, beyond smoke and visibility issues, is minimal.

‘Some sites previously closed have already reopened, she said.

‘Smoke may impact townships and campsites along the island’s eastern beach and the adjacent mainland over the coming days.

‘Beach drivers should exercise caution when traversing the eastern beach, and in any situation along the coast where smoke may impact visibility.’