People put their lives at risk entering closed park during fire operations

Issued: 11 November 2024

Rangers are reminding park visitors to put their safety first after people were caught risking their lives by walking into closed areas of a national park, west of Rockhampton during recent bushfires.

As bushfire activities continue across Central Queensland, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) firefighters are reminding visitors to stay aware of current park conditions and to never enter closed areas.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Principal Ranger Andrew Colvill, said, “We noticed several people who had ignored the closure signs during the bushfires that entered Blackdown Tableland National Park and gained access to the park through closed roads or gates.”

The park, 180km west of Rockhampton, was closed temporarily in October for safety reasons while the Rural Fire Service firefighters, and Ghungalu and QPWS rangers battled bushfires burning in the park.

“These people put their own lives at risk as well as the rangers who found them. If national parks or state forests are closed, it’s for a very good reason. In this case it was an active bushfire – this was a dangerous situation,” Mr Colvill said.

“Bushfires are dangerous as they can move so quickly you could find yourself trapped, suffer from burns or smoke inhalation, or even worse. The consequences can be fatal.”

More than 90 QPWS and Ghungalu Rangers were involved in the response to the bushfire in Blackdown Tableland National Park.

“This widescale response, combined with our year-round work to prepare the park for bushfire season, meant that the park could reopen once conditions were considered safe to do so,” Mr Colvill said.

Campgrounds, facilities or entire park closures can happen for various reasons, with emergencies sometimes necessitating a closure at short notice.

“With bushfire activity continuing across Queensland, we need everyone to be mindful of park closures and changing conditions,” Mr Colvill said.

“We are asking people to plan before heading out to a national park. Go to our website and check our Park Alerts page before you jump in the car.”

To mitigate bushfire risk and manage the landscape in the park, QPWS works closely with Traditional Owners all year-round to carry out planned burns and maintain fire breaks to keep the environment healthy and protect neighbours and communities.

Visitors to National Parks are reminded to always observe fire restrictions in parks and forests, and report any fires immediately to Triple Zero. Early reporting may avert a serious bushfire.

Visitors to Queensland national parks and State forests can keep up to date on conditions via Park Alerts.

View more information about QPWS fire management.