Fire fighters from as far as the Perseverance and Ravensbourne Rural Fire Brigades, north of Toowoomba, helped battle to save property in a large bush fire which started on Thursday, October 31 in the Rodgers Creek area west of Warwick.
The fire headed south west into hilly parts of Greymare with more than 2,000 hectares of grass burnt as of Monday morning, November 4.
Landholder Jamie McDonald said every rural fire unit interacted with the property owners brilliantly, saying, "The preservation of property and lives was at the top of their minds, they had a selfless attitude to give up their weekend on hot days and are outstanding Australians."
“The Rural Fire Service did a fantastic job day-in, day-out, to protect structures, land and try to shut down a massive fire under very difficult conditions. They had to confront heat, wind and near impossible terrain in some areas to combat the fire.”
Mr McDonald said many property owners at their own cost with their own assets (equipment) were helping the firefighting action on the ground and in the air to ensure the Rodgers Creek and Greymare communities were not further affected.
To the best of everyone’s knowledge, the fire started from a dry lightning strike on Thursday afternoon.
On Sunday night, November 3, the fire was within a containment line around 80 per cent of the fire which was expected to be completed by noon Monday.
There were 20 rural fire units on the fire front on Sunday during the day and 10 at night. Five units headed to the fire to ensure it didn’t break containment line from the Mountain Maid Rd end between 5pm and 6.30pm Sunday.
On Saturday night, November 2, volunteers lit grass on the edge of a fire break put in by a dozer. One landholder and one dozer driver left the fire at 3am Sunday.
Rural Fire Service Inspector Ross Stacey said on Sunday morning that three dozers were pushing breaks around the fire and four aircraft were helping with dousing the fire.
Three of the aircraft were amphibious planes which needed a one-kilometre run to pick up 3200 litres of water from Leslie Dam.
A Bell 214 carried 2800 litres which could be sucked out of smaller dams and had greater accuracy with their water bombing.
Mr Stacey said they defended three structures on Friday night, November 1.
Crews from other areas of south-east Queensland were on site Monday to give some respite to the locals.
“Crews will be at the fire until Friday,” he said.
