FRASER BURNS

CRAIG WINTER

PICTURES like these do not inspire confidence in visitors to the Fraser Coast hoping to spend some time on Fraser Island over Christmas.

Local whale-watching stalwart Vicki Neville aboard Tasman Venture shot these amazing photos over the weekend as changing wind directions altered the effects of the blaze almost hourly.

These unique clouds are formed by a rising column of hot air coming off fires, and when it rises rapidly, it cools, forming the familiar mushroom shapes.

Even after six weeks of fighting this monster, and despite repeated attempts to get answers about how the devastating fire is being fought, or if the culprits of the ‘illegal fire’ are even being sought by police, the Minister’s Office, Department of Environment & Science and Queensland Fire & Emergency Services have all ducked for cover.

However, one senior Parks staffer has spoken unofficially and exclusively to The Sun saying that the illegal fire story is genuine, and that the culprit has been identified. Evidence is being gathered against them and a prosecution is possible “quite soon”.

He also spoke about the battle against the blaze.

“This is the biggest any of us have ever seen in our careers here.”

“This fire won’t be stopped effectively before Christmas, and evacuation plans are now in place and ready to be executed.” he said.

With the strong northerly winds, embers have been blown more than five kilometers past the front, making the battle unpredictable and dangerous.

Meanwhile, residents have been voicing concerns over the lack of detailed media coverage of the fire and it’s impact on the environment and local businesses leading into the Christmas season.

Keyboard detectives have been wondering why the helicopter is refilling with fresh water from Booral, whilst the planes are clearly using seawater straight from the bay, all to fight a fire on an island that famously has massive fresh water reserves.

Our source explained that it has nothing to do with ‘greenies’.

“The native title agreement that has been in place since 2014 doesn’t allow us to use the fresh water resources on K’Gari.” he said.

“And because some of the helicopters have equipment that can’t be exposed to seawater, they need to fly to the mainland to restock with fresh.”

Vicki Neville agrees that this is the worst fire she’s seen in twenty years, and local farmers have been predicting it for a long time. Well known local farmer and author Lindsay Titmarsh predicted a fire just like this in his 2003 book ‘Tandora’.

“Most logging tracks which served as firebreaks have now grown over... and we can be sure that one day Fraser Island will be ablaze from one end to the other because only limited equipment exists to stop it.” he said.

“Fuel loads have been allowed to build up and will continue to do so until a natural incident or deliberate act releases the ‘red steer’ as the farmers call a wild fire.”

This is what we are seeing on the island now.

One fire expert pointed out that forestry under similar native title agreements in northern Queensland have not experienced major wildfires since the local people took over it’s management twenty years ago.

“They manage it just like they did hundreds of years ago” he said.

“They burn back every summer to maintain the bush, and it works.”

As a result of the continuing threat to infrastructure and lives, emergency evacuation plans have now been put in place and Kingfisher Resort has been forced to close for two weeks as visitors to the island are now banned until the fire is under control.

Disappointed interstate visitors have used Facebook to unleash on those responsible, not only for the disruption to their own travels, but also for the destruction of fauna and a reported 76,000 hectares of flora, a key attraction for guests.

Operators are hopeful that the fire won’t effect their Christmas holiday rush with many saying that they expect the Island to be at capacity as soon as the threat diminishes.

The good news is that next year, the Island will be regenerated and lush with new growth.

Plants that rely on fire for their seeds to sprout will become prolific, and visitors once again will be able to enjoy Fraser.

Both the fauna and the flora of Fraser Island will recover as it has many times in the past, and maybe some lessons can be learned about how to mitigate or manage the threat of another such fire in the future.

Photos like these have been circulated around the world. Photos: Vicki Neville, Tasman Venture.