Lightning response

In September 2024, having received the call that a fire had jumped the boundary into Carnarvon Station Reserve on Bidjara Country in central Queensland, Bush Heritage’s National Fire Program Manager Rhys Swain packed his vehicle and headed to the reserve.

Across Queensland, other members of Bush Heritage’s experienced fire-trained staff did the same, each with their own 4WD equipped with an engine, pump, Personal Protective Equipment and up to 600 litres of water.

“Within 12 hours of a phone call, we had eight additional fire crews here with backup crews ready to come in and relieve,” says Chris Wilson, Healthy Landscape Manager, who was already at the reserve, which is located in the Carnarvon Ranges, 200 km south of Emerald. 

“Bush Heritage has invested significant time and money in training our staff and building our internal capacity to fight fire,” notes Rhys.

This deep understanding of the landscape and conditions at Carnarvon proved critical over the next three weeks. The team contended with high temperatures, low humidity and hot southerly winds, all on the back of low winter rainfall, which had hampered the team’s efforts to conduct prescribed burns prior to bushfire season.

Not only did these conditions cause the fire to spread rapidly, but a few weeks after it had been contained, a lightning strike started another fire on the reserve’s mountain ranges. In total, 31,000 hectares – approximately 50% of the reserve – burned.

In a Carnarvon first, our neighbours the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service deployed firefighting aircraft that water bombed the more inaccessible areas, slowing down the fire and allowing time for us to complete critical firebreaks.

Meanwhile, the fire fighters used bulldozers, loaders and graders to move burning logs and debris with ease, minimising human risk.

The aerial support and heavy machinery were both a result of close collaboration with Rural Fire Service Queensland and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

According to Chris, “It’s an absolute game changer to have those sorts of resources on hand. It gives us more options to contain fire quicker.”

The resources involved in fighting and preparing for fire are costly, from earth-moving equipment and aircraft to the huge amount of staff time and contractors required. As climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of fires, sustained investment is crucial for Bush Heritage to achieve its long-term goal of protecting Country.

“We’ve got a great strategy in place to ensure that our conservation targets are safe, and to keep our people and our assets safe,” explains Rhys. “Now, we’re fighting landscape-scale fires and we’re looking to make those decisions about bigger investments.”

Post-fire, the benefits of strategic fire management speak for themselves. Two of Carnarvon’s most fire-sensitive vegetation communities – Brigalow Scrub and Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket – were spared from the brunt of the fires, thanks in part to historical fire scars built on over many years of prescribed burning.

This is welcome news, as we wait for the final outcome of Bush Heritage’s application to have Carnarvon declared a Special Wildlife Reserve by the Queensland Government.

This designation would provide the highest-level of legal protection for the exceptional natural and cultural values of the reserve, such as the five endemic land snails found in the reserve’s patches of Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket.

As Rhys puts it, successfully fighting fire and protecting the health of the bush comes down to being on the front foot. “We’re keen to get in early on and build our capacity so we’re ready for these events instead of being reactive.” •

We gratefully acknowledge Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Rural Fire Service Queensland for their on-ground support during the fires at Carnarvon Station Reserve.