BUSHFIRES are burning 12km north of Tara and parish priest Fr Jack MacGinley is keeping his local op shop open with a sign out front – “Goods all free, clothes all free, help yourself”.
He said there were people there at 6am getting clothes and goods.
“They’ve got nowhere to stay, a lot of these people,” he said.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services bushfire warning map shows evacuation orders for properties north of Tara.
Firies had been working across the weekend to set up a fire break to keep the town safe.
Fr MacGinley, who has lived in Tara for 38 years, celebrated Sunday Mass at the local St Mary of the Angels church.
He would also hold Masses across All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
He had heard 46 homes had been burnt down by the fires, which have been burning for the last two weeks.
“It’s very tragic,” he said.
He said more than 200 residents had evacuated to Dalby, where they were staying at a hall in the showgrounds.
Dalby St Vincent de Paul Society president Carmel Hart says they are seeing a lot of urgent.
“It’s just really hard because some of them had lost everything,” she said.
For some people that could be a nice house, but for others they had been living in sheds and other structures and struggling to begin with, she said.
She said there had been fires out there early this year and some people had lost everything.
“They had only just been getting things back together and it’s happened again,” she said.
“It’s a pretty sad story.”
The conference’s 13 volunteers were working around the clock.
They had been handing out lots of clothes and blankets.
“At the moment, that’s about all we can do,” Mrs Hart said.
“It will be ongoing and down the track when everything settles down, we will know more about what people want.”
QFES said on Facebook fire conditions had been immensely challenging today.
“The situation at Tara is of most concern, with 115 firefighters and 28 trucks on the ground today, supported by heavy machinery and several aircraft,” the post said.
“Our number one focus is protecting lives and keeping communities safe.”
Multiple watch and act warnings remain in place across the Western Downs.
To find the most up-to-date warnings, please visit: https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/Current-Incidents
