Fire crews battled the bushfire on the outskirts of the city.

Two urban trucks and a rural fire brigade crew were called to the fire just after 11am, which began about 10 kilometres outside Mount Isa on the Mount Isa-Duchess Road.

The fire had grown into two fronts when the crews arrived and had spread to three fronts late yesterday.

Crews spent much of yesterday trying to control and contain the fire using back burning and graders, however due to several unpredictable wind changes, this proved difficult.

A decrease in humidity during the day also made bushland drier allowing the fire to spread faster.

At one point the wind shifted and the fire was heading in the direction of the Mica Creek Power Station. Crews worked quickly to ensure it did not reach the facility.

However, by mid-afternoon the fire crews were monitoring the blaze’s direction and had attempted to prevent the blaze from spreading towards a goat farm in the area.

The fire was not being treated as suspicious; however a fire service spokesperson said it could have been started accidentally, maybe from a cigarette butt.

Mount Isa Rural Fire Brigade Officer-In-Charge Matt Davenport said natural earth barriers assisted to keep the blaze from spreading faster and further.

“It is a difficult fire to control because it’s such a vast area that it’s covered and there are several fire fronts,” he said.

“We’ll stay out there until it is safe enough for us to leave.”