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General News

10 September, 2024

Arsonists likely to blame for inferno that threatened golf club

The flames were just metres from the clubhouse.

By Troy Rowling

Mount Isa Golf Club head greenkeeper Craig Mills with the tractor that was damaged by the rampaging fire front last week.
Mount Isa Golf Club head greenkeeper Craig Mills with the tractor that was damaged by the rampaging fire front last week.

Police say a large fire that came within metres of threatening the clubhouse at Mount Isa Golf Club and forced the evacuation of more than two dozen golfers from the fairways may have been deliberately lit.

Senior Sergeant Adrian Rieck told North West Weekly that police were investigating reports that two or more youths on motorbikes were seen acting suspiciously shortly before a large fire engulfed the area along Powerhouse Road last Wednesday.

Witnesses have told North West Weekly that smoke plumes from the rapidly moving fire were first noticed just after 10.30am last Wednesday by a group of golfers playing along the 16th and 17th holes, who quickly returned to their buggies to begin alerting others.

It is understood there were between 25-30 golfers on the fairways who were hastily rounded up near the clubhouse, where about a dozen parked cars were moved away from the fire front.

In the less than 10 minutes it took to contact everyone playing on the course, the fire had spread more than a kilometre down a hillscape to within metres of dozens of golf buggies in a garage, maintenance workshops, employee homes and the clubhouse itself.

Fortunately, the blaze was slowed less than five metres from the buildings by a dirt road that acted as a fire break.

Firefighters mop up at the Mount Isa Golf Club on Saturday to get rid of hot spots that may spark another blaze.
Firefighters mop up at the Mount Isa Golf Club on Saturday to get rid of hot spots that may spark another blaze.

Fire crews arrived at the scene just after 10.40am and travelled down the long golf course driveway that was engulfed by smoke and flames.

Between 25-30 golfers had to be evacuated to a section at the 10th hole for about 45 minutes while fire crews worked to control the blaze.

Queensland Fire Department (QFD) Western Command Inspector Jarrod Olivero told North West Weekly it was initially unsafe to move the golfers from the course because heavy smoke and fire had spread to both sides of the driveway and was threatening overhead power lines crossing the road.

A section of Powerhouse Road was blocked to traffic for several hours on Wednesday afternoon as fire crews battled blazes by the roadside and council and mine water trucks were moved into position to assist firefighters.

Mr Olivero said the fire required seven fire trucks as well as almost half of the total number of firefighters available in the city to bring the blaze under control, which was deemed complete by about 4pm.

He said it was “extremely disappointing” that the fire may have been intentionally lit, especially given crews have already been forced to respond to 21 grass fires in Mount Isa this month, which is almost twice as many compared to the same time last year, including three other fires on the same day as the golf course incident.

Those fires were at Frank Aston Hill, along Duchess Road and on Abel Smith Parade.

It was a scary period for the Mount Isa Golf Club as fires threatened structures and equipment on the course.
It was a scary period for the Mount Isa Golf Club as fires threatened structures and equipment on the course.

Mr Olivero said the cause of these fires were also being investigated by QFD and it was not known yet whether they were also deliberately lit.

“This is stretching our crews when we obviously have limited resources over a large area to cover,” he told North West Weekly.

“We are having to call out volunteers from the rural fire service and having to remove them from their primary place of employment so they can assist extinguish fires that may have been deliberately lit – so that is not only threatening lives and property but also impacting local businesses in the community.”

Despite being just metres from a line of buildings, an aging tractor and slasher and some spare irrigation pipes were the only items reported to have been fire damaged.

It was yet to be determined whether the machinery could be salvaged for future use.

Two more fires also flared near the golf course over the weekend, with fire crews again called out on Saturday morning and Sunday evening to extinguish small blazes in the area.

Mount Isa Golf Club head greenkeeper Craig Mills, whose home was threatened by the fire front, assisted to move people and property away from the threat of the blaze.

He said that adrenaline helped everyone stay focused on the tasks at hand during the emergency.

“We do have fires down in the creeks, but the fairways act like a fire break,” he said.

“I have seen nothing like this before.”

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