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Coolum Beach fire: Residents told to leave as 'uncontrollable' bushfire threatens homes

Jorge Branco
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Emergency services are calling on Coolum residents to leave their homes immediately as an "uncontrollable" bushfire moves south-west.

Sunshine Coast Council on Friday afternoon advised residents that the could move to the Coolum Surf Club at 1775 David Low Way and stay overnight if they could find shelter with family or friends.

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Fire at Coolum water park

An Aqua Park at Coolum is evacuated on Friday after fire breaks out.

Horses under threat can be shifted to Nambour Showgrounds, if needed, the council has recommended.

"People must call ahead on 5476 2948," a spokeswoman said.

"You can enter via Coronation Drive only and report to the showground management office."

People are urged to stay alert to radio updates and take advice from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services on the QFES website.

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On Friday afternoon Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advised residents on Arcoona Road and Yandina Coolum Road to leave their homes immediately if the path was clear to do so.

At 3pm, the bushfire was travelling in a south-westerly direction and had reached Arcoona Road.

The "large, fast-moving" bushfire was expected to reach Yandina-Coolum Road within the hour.

Police have closed Yandina-Coolum Road along with nearby streets and have blocked access for vehicles.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services bushfire emergency warning, issued on Friday afternoon, said spot fires were likely to start up to four kilometres ahead of the fire front and embers were being thrown from the fire.

"The fire is expected to impact on the Coolum community and some property may be lost. Power, water and mobile phone supplies may be lost in the area over the next several hours," the emergency statement read.

"It will be very hot and windy and as the fire approaches it will become increasingly difficult to breathe.

"Residents are strongly advised to leave now if they are able to do so. Leaving is the safest option for survival."

Thirty fire crews were working to contain the blaze.

Residents have been urged to contact triple zero if their property came under threat.

Residents should consider taking precautionary measures including: 

  • Putting on protective clothing;
  • Drinking lots of water;
  • Moving car/s to a safe location;
  • Closing windows and doors and shutting blinds;
  • Bringing pets inside, restraining them (leash, cage or secure room) and providing water;
  • Wetting down fine fuels close to buildings;
  • Removing garden furniture, doormats and other items;
  • Sealing all gaps under doors and screens;
  • Filling containers with water - eg bath, sinks, buckets, wheelie bins;
  • Having ladders ready for roof space access (inside) and against roof (outside);
  • Having a generator or petrol powered pump ready; and
  • Checking and patrolling outside for embers, extinguishing any spot fires and seeking shelter as the fire front arrives.

EARLIER

An emergency situation has again been declared on the Sunshine Coast, where firefighters continue to battle a blaze that is threatening homes.

Police evacuated residents on Arcoona Road at Coolum and advised those living on Leichhardt Road, Carnarvon Court, Cania Place and Musgrave Drive to leave on Friday afternoon.

Staff at a school on Yandina-Coolum Road have also been evacuated.

A water park was evacuated after a wind change shifted the focus of firefighting efforts at Coolum Beach.

A water-bombing helicopter was again helping keep the blaze at Coolum Beach under control on Friday morning after it threatened homes overnight.

About midday on Friday, police advised the water park on Junction Drive, where Blast Aqua Park Coolum and the Oz Ski Resort are located, was being evacuated.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said the wind had turned south-southeasterly.

Police said no homes were at risk.

EARLIER

A fire so fierce it burned above the tree line has been brought under control after threatening homes on the Sunshine Coast.

Firefighters faced flames so ferocious there was nothing they could do to extinguish them at times as a 541-hectare blaze tore through bush on either side of a motorway at Coolum Beach overnight.

Residents in several Peregian Beach homes were warned to put bushfire plans into place about 8.15pm but more than 60 firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control without any property damaged.

On Friday morning, police revoked an emergency situation that had been in place around the fire and reopened the Sunshine Motorway, which had been closed since Thursday afternoon.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services acting superintendent Steven Bates said hot weather had contributed to a relatively rare fire event known as "crowning".

"That's a very high energy fire and very risky," he said.

"So anything close to residential looks spectacular.

"There's no way to extinguish a fire that has that much energy and impetus behind it so crews did a great job in going into defensive mode and that's defending the properties by backburning and dousing hot spots just before the fire."

Mr Bates guessed temperatures around the blaze would have been "well over" 1000 degrees and said crowning fires were often described as being "like a freight train".

"I'm not sure if it was that sort of level but I've seen some photos of the fire and it was certainly quite intense at times," he said.

Rural and urban firefighters worked with police, ambulance and the State Emergency Service to keep homes and other property safe.

Residents at Arcoona and Doonan Bridge roads, as well as the Coolum industrial estate were evacuated on Thursday night as firefighters warned property could be lost.

The bushfire started near Cinnamon Avenue and Banksia Avenue, and close to the Sunshine Motorway, in Coolum Beach about 1pm on Thursday

Mr Bates said police would investigate whether there was anything suspicious.

A water-bombing helicopter helped bring the fire under control and was expected to return on Friday to survey inaccessible spots and potentially dump more water.

"The ideal thing would be some torrential rain just to put out some of the deep-seated fires," Mr Bates said.

"It could however still burn for a couple of days."

- with Amy Mitchell-Whittington