Agricultural
1 November, 2025
Fires wipe out hectares of crops
Paddocks across the region have suffered hectares of fire damage, with the worst blazes at Irvingdale and Meringandan over the last two weeks.
A dramatic paddock fire near Bowenville recently received widespread media attention.
On Saturday October 18th at 2.15pm, the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) received a call-out to a farm at Bowenville-Irvingdale Road. Less than 200 metres into a crop, a header had caught fire sparking a blaze.
Multiple aircraft, a Firebird, two Helitak crews and two fixed-wing aircraft, were dispatched to the site of the blaze at Irvingdale, along with eight on-ground crews
The fire started over an area of 100m2, and one building was under threat at one stage.
By 3pm, fire bombers were bombing the edge of the fire and no structures were immediately under threat.
At 5pm, the fire had been extinguished, having burned through 30 hectares of crop.
The next day, Sunday October 19th, QFD crews received another callout to a rural property on Pipeline Road near Cooby Dam.
At 11.52am, three aircraft a Firebird 411, and two Helitak water bombing crews were dispatched to the scene at Meringandan, where the fire was burning along a 200-metre front.
By 12.56pm, the fire was burning in a contained area and had burned through 15 hectares on the property. No structures were damaged.
By 1.30pm, logs were burning, and by 2pm, the site was left in the hands of the owner with some old trees still burning.
Crews came back the next morning, Monday October 20th, to ensure there was no damage.
Later that day, crews were called out to Kulpi for an unrelated incident, where a crop of oats was reported as being on fire on Oakey-Cooyar Road.
The call was received at 1.10pm, with three crews, two auxiliary, and the local Rural Fire Brigade attending.
A nearby harvester showed no signs of fire, and crews had sorted the fire by 2pm.
A QFD spokesperson said the hot and relatively dry conditions were conducive to bushfires.
“Farm machinery can spark destructive vegetation fires in conditions like we are seeing across Queensland right now,” the spokesperson said.
“If you are slashing, harvesting or using any type of machinery, it is vital to check bearings, and keep flammable material clear of heat sources around the engine and exhaust.
“Being aware of your surroundings is crucial, as is ensuring your extinguishers are fully charged.
“Carry water with you and have a suppression device on hand so that any small fires in the landscape can be extinguished quickly.”
