Daily London
This evening, that warning was downgraded to advice and residents told to return with caution, but not before it threatened lives and homes, with at least six properties suffering some minor damage.
The fast-moving and intense wall of flames reached within metres of homes as the blaze took hold this afternoon.
A plume of thick black smoke could be seen from the air and billowing high above rooftops.
Roads were gridlocked as residents desperate to get away packed up their cars.
The Tonkin Highway was temporarily shut but opened again by tonight.
Most of the fire was put out within an hour as crews in the air and on the ground worked together.
The speed of the fire, which came dangerously close to homes, left residents frightened.
“It’s crazy. It’s literally, absolutely crazy, because it shows you how fast anything of a fire can go,” Troy Harding said.
Fire authorities said the blaze burned three hectares and caused damage to six to eight properties, including destroying fences and a backyard gazebo.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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