FIRES STILL RAGING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 70, 4 January 1950, Page 3

FIRES STILL RAGING

FRESH OUTBREAK IN QUEENSLAND WORST IN SOUTH-WEST SINCE 1917 (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright).. (Rec. 10.40 a.m.) SYDNEY, This day, Families from 20 homesteads between Walgett and Brewarrina fled last night when a new bush/fire threatened their homesteads. Many of them sheltered in the Narram river and lakes while more than 400 volunteers fought the fire on a front of 18 miles. Early to-day the fire was still out of control and was heading toward* Walgett, through abandoned station territory.

Earlier, volunteers after 50 hours continuous fighting, managed to control two, huge fires between Walgett and Brewarrina. It was then believed that the fires would burn themselves out in a week without spreading further, but the country was tinder-dry and trees in the burned area were still shooting flames and sparks. Holloweyed men who had succeeded in stopping two converging outbreaks wandered into Walgett t.o*a rest while others continued to patrol the area. A fresh outbreak was reported late last night and 200 weary volunteers rushed back to action again. The bush and grass fires raging in Southwest Queensland are described as the worst since 1917. Many fires have been abandoned by fighters and are com-, pletely out of control. Smoke from' fires 20 miles away is sweeping over the townships of Wyandra and Avadale, where bulldozers and road graders are, helping to cut fire breaks. In the last three days 100,000 acres of excellent pasture have been burned out, but losses of stock have been low. Great quantities of umbrella grass, similar to the American tumbleweed, are spreading the outbreaks by rolling for miles before the wind across flat country and piling up in huge inflammmable heaps against fences and buildings.

LIGHTNING STARTS MOST BLAZES SYDNEY, January 3. A line of eight fires now raging in the Adavale area of southern Queensland will become more menacing when it is joined by another blaze which is racing in its direction. One fire front is 20 miles long and threatens to link up with another at Charleville, which is the centre of a rich grazing area 500 miles west of Brisbane. Most of the fires were started by lightning. Heavy damage is spread over a vast area bordered, by Charleville, Wyandra, Adavale, and Quilpie. It is thought that only rain can quench the fires, and no rain is expected. In New South Wales the heat wave has eased, and the fires in the northwest have almost burned themselves out. Near Brewarrina and Walgett 350 square miles of valuable grazing land is reduced to a black waste, but the main losses are fodder and fencing.