These conditions risk further grass fires from lightning strikes when the storm season starts. 

QFES’s area director of the Charters Towers and Cloncurry area, Gavin Fryar, said there had been many fires in the western part of his area recently – which includes 12 local government areas. These include a fire 30 kilometres west of Cloncurry which was caused by a spark from a boat trailer which had a faulty bearing.

“The ones in the (Leichhardt) river bank are traditional Mount Isa fires, vagrants and so forth, and some of the ones in the Burke Shire are a mixture of accidental and not.” 

There was another widespread fire in recent days which had crossed the border from the Northern Territory north west of Doomadgee. 

“The conditions in the Mount Isa area, in particular down from Urandangi up towards Lawn Hill, in a lot of areas there are quite significant fuel loads,” Mr Fryar said. “Graziers call it fodder but it all burns.” 

The curing rate of grass had been up to 80 per cent in March. It was a high rate due to earlier heat that was hotter than normal. 

“Also contributing is the fact we are seeing record low humidity,” he said. “It’s 10 per cent during the day but doesn’t get over 20 per cent at night. What that means is there’s no dual level and fires will continue to burn through the night, and we have had strong winds.” 

The area director said early lightning storms could cause trouble with fires which typically happened from October in the more severe years. “The western area now has a lot of continuous fuels so fires will keep going,” he said. 

Mr Fryar urged town residents to clean their yards, and remove litter and dry fuels. He urged properties to create and maintain firebreaks and to ensure machinery was serviced so that it did not cause sparks. “On really hot windy days it is often better not to be working that machinery if possible,” he said. 

He urged recreational vehicles be maintained and serviced.

Vehicle owners should make sure long grass was not stuck in the exhausts.  Camp fires needed to be lit in safe areas and put out properly.