A major fire broke out on Sunday morning along the Mitchell Highway, approximately 20 kilometres south of Charleville in south-west Queensland, leading to a full road closure. Emergency services were called to Bakers Bend around 6:30 am following reports of a truck carrying oxygen cylinders and two chemical trailers on fire.
Due to the high risk, Queensland Police declared an emergency under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) at 8:59 am, establishing a 20-kilometre exclusion zone that includes the Angellala Creek bridge.
Authorities have advised the public to avoid the area and have ordered residents within the exclusion zone to evacuate immediately. At the end of the operations and in agreement with the Police, the emergency in Bakers Bend was lifted and the area of the Mitchell Highway affected by the event was reopened to traffic.
Massimo Serresi
