Spring bushfires in Queensland destroy chickens and farm equipment — ABC News Australia
In central Queensland, Australia, spring bushfires destroyed breeding chickens, equipment and scorched farmland near Rockhampton and Gladstone. Since September 1, the Queensland Fire Department has issued Watch and Act warnings for eight fire incidents in the region, ABC News Australia reports.
Farmer Kat Kirk from Port Curtis, near Rockhampton, said she had only five or six minutes to remove animals from her 15-hectare property. By the time firefighters were able to contain the blaze, it had destroyed a chicken shed with breeding chickens and scorched nearly all the land, leaving about half a hectare untouched.
Dry winter and fires
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the winter of 2026 was Queensland's driest in six years, while rainfall in the central part of the state was significantly below normal. Rockhampton Rural Fire Service district manager Matthew Eckhardt said spring was usually a busy period, but the past few weeks had exhausted his teams. According to him, crews had worked in different parts of the community for several days.
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Egg producer Debbie-Jo McDonald, whose farm is located about 20 kilometres north of Kirk's property, said the fire grew from an area of about 5 by 5 metres to 100 by 100 metres by the time the call to 000 was made. Her 800 chickens were unharmed during the fire and did not suffer smoke poisoning in the following days.
Losses at the vineyard
At the vineyard of Tony and Colleen McRae in Gladstone, more than 100 kilometres south of Rockhampton, fires on September 3 destroyed the main pump of the irrigation system. According to Tony McRae, the fire crossed firebreaks. He estimated that clearing dead trees and restoring these breaks would cost $50,000.
The McRaes are concerned about further drought in spring and summer: according to Tony McRae, there has been virtually no rain in the area since April. Kat Kirk is restoring fences and clearing the site, while neighbouring farmers have given her supplies and joined the work. Debbie-Jo McDonald is also strengthening her farm's fire protection, including plans to expand water infrastructure.
