Bushfire sweeps popular Australian island

Brisbane, Dec 1 : Residents and visitors on Australia’s Fraser Island on Tuesday were asked to prepare for the worst as an out of control bushfire swept towards a major tourist resort.
The fire has already scorched over 72,000 hectares or 42 per cent of the World Heritage listed island, off Queensland State’s east coast, since spreading from an illegal campfire six weeks ago, reports Xinhua news agency.
On Tuesday, the first day of summer in Australia brought hot and windy conditions which fanned flames and made firefighters’ efforts to contain the blaze even more difficult.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) said that the fire was travelling towards the Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village with water bombing aircraft attempting to slow the progression.
“You need to be ready to follow your bushfire survival plan,” QFES said in a statement.
“If you do not have a plan, or intend to leave, you should be ready to leave the area because the situation could get worse quickly.”