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Crews will try to control the fire around the complex today.
“The reality of the Fraser Island fire is that it will continue to burn until we have reasonable rain,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing told Today.
A fleet of water-bombarding planes has been summoned to douse the flames burning in largely inaccessible areas.
Crews on the ground are also working frantically to contain the fire, which has ravaged more than 76,000 hectares of dry scrub such as tinder.
“It’s really difficult to access,” Commissioner Wassing said.
“We are very aware that it is a World Heritage site, so we must have a light footprint in terms of fire suppression, so to speak.
“Air assets are an important part of our strategy.
“We dropped another half a million liters of water and that has been effective in stopping the fire and our goal is to drive it around Kingfisher Bay.
“But it is a slow and arduous effort.”
The fire, which has been burning for six weeks, was started by an illegal campfire lit in a remote part of the island.
“It’s frustrating for everyone … it’s particularly frustrating for the local community now where it’s obviously having a wider impact.
“We are very aware of the impact on the continental community, with the smoke, and our main objective is to reduce the impact of this fire in the long term.”
