North Stradbroke Island fire update as at 7.30pm on Sat 1 Dec 2018 – Lines strengthened ahead of str…

Residents and visitors of North Stradbroke Island (NSI) and all the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) are urged to stay alert ahead of strong winds expected Sunday through to Monday.

Fire crews on NSI today focused on strengthening the south-eastern fire containment lines ahead of these expected weather conditions.

The local fire ban for Redland City has been extended to midnight Wednesday 5 December.

The fire is burning in an isolated area on the eastern side of North Stradbroke Island and is not currently posing a threat to life or property.

No camping is permitted on Main Beach, which is also now closed south of Alfred Martin Way. All internal walking tracks within national parks on NSI are also temporarily closed due to the risk of wild-fires.

NSI residents and visitors are being asked to exercise caution when travelling around the island and advised that it is unlawful and dangerous to enter closed areas and ignore road closures signs.

The smoke hazard across the SMBI and the mainland is expected to increase over coming days as a result of wind changes into Monday.

The SMBI Rural Fire crews and island volunteers have today undertaken patrols to check for possible spot fires.

Residents are asked to be mindful of the impacts to their health from the combined heat and heavy smoke over coming days.

The elderly, young children and those with health and breathing issues, are advised to stay indoors, stay well hydrated and to seek out air conditioning if possible.

Keep up-to-date and share information with family and friends:

Redlands Coast disaster website: disaster.redland.qld.gov.au (includes multi-agency and Council information). The Disaster website and Council social media is also accessible from Council’s website: redland.qld.gov.au. 612 ABC Radio Local radio BayFM 100.3 QFES on Facebook (@QldFireandRescueService) and Twitter (@QldFES) Rural Fire Service (RFS) website at ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map