AFTER TWO DELAYS BURN IS ON AT KURRIMINE BEACH

One of North Queensland’s largest burn-offs will take place at Kurrimine Beach this week, Minister for Natural Resources and Water Craig Wallace said today.

The burn-off, which will start tomorrow (September 26), was originally scheduled to take place last month but was cancelled due to unexpected wet weather.

Mr Wallace said more than 100 people from 12 agencies would take part in the burn, which aimed to minimise the risk of wildfires in the area.

“Hazard reduction burns are designed to produce low-intensity, slow moving fires that remove accumulated fuel loads such as dry grasses and weeds," Mr Wallace said.

“The lighting pattern for each burn is planned and implemented to create a wildlife corridor so that slow-moving native animals can easily escape the low-intensity flames.”

The Kurrimine burn is a particularly large-scale burn, covering 1,800 hectares between Cowley Beach and Kurrimine Beach, east of Stevenson Road.

The scale of the burn will give the agencies involved a chance to update their knowledge about ground and aerial ignition operations and aerial observation.

"There will be several activities not often seen during smaller hazard reduction burns, including aerial, or incendiary, fire drops from a helicopter,” Mr Wallace said.

The incendiaries are small plastic balls filled with potassium permanganate. Once injected with glycol and ejected from the helicopter, they take 45-60 seconds to ignite on the ground, causing small fires in the undergrowth.

"We may even have access to the Emergency Services Helicopter to demonstrate water bombing tactics."

NRW project co-ordinator Tony Johnston said burns were scheduled to begin late tomorrow afternoon and advised residents with respiratory problems to take adequate precautions.

"The fires will be lit in the late afternoon to keep their intensity low. We will achieve our goal of reducing the fire hazard, but we'll also be able to protect native flora and fauna," Mr Johnston said.

Residents bordering State land, as well as others who may be affected by smoke from the hazard reduction burns, are notified several days prior to the operation.

“We will try hard to minimise the inconvenience, but in the end this program is essential. It’s a pro-active way of reducing the risk of wildfires."

Mr Johnston said the agencies taking part in the Kurrimine burn were part of the local and State Wildfire Management Committees, a range of inter-agency support groups for authorities concerned with land and fire management.

“Member agencies pool manpower, equipment, and knowledge to help better manage our resources and protect the community," Mr Johnston said.

"The more these agencies train together during friendly fire exercises, the more cohesive they become during emergencies."

Agencies involved in the exercise include Queensland Fire and Rescue, the Rural Fire Service, the State Emergency Service, Atherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services, Canegrowers, Cardwell Shire Council, Johnstone Shire Council, Queensland Police Service, the Environmental Protection Authority, Queensland Ambulance Service, Forestry Plantations Queensland and Main Roads.

Media inquiries: Caroline Kaurila, Craig Wallace’s office, on (07) 3896 3694.