UPDATE: According to Brisbane Times, Thirteen Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews have contained the fire that blazed earlier today in The Spit.
Earlier Mamamia reported: Three helicopters are enroute to waterbomb the large fire at The Spit. Access to the area has been cut at Marina Mirage on SeaWorld Drive. Roads are clogged with traffic as SeaWorld goers try to flee.
Emergency services are scrambling to evacuate The Spit as a ‘wildfire with several fire fronts’ is rapidly moving towards popular tourist destination, Sea World.
Northbound traffic has been blocked from entering the area, and firefighters are said to be concerned about the strong winds fanning the blaze. Controlling the fire is set to be a difficult task, with temperatures in the region climbing beyond 31C today.
According to Gold Coast Bulletin, while the blaze ignited at 9:45am, not everyone has yet been evacuated from the area.
Several fire crews are on scene, and choppers are waterbombing the scrub in an attempt to kill the fire.
Police have blocked access to The Spit from Marina Mirage and traffic is jammed on Sea World Drive as thousands of beachgoers flee the area — the only way out.
Federation Walk leader Lyn Wright said she was shocked to learn of the fire, the area’s first in five years.
“They’re evacuating people and stopping them from coming in. When it is safe, we will go back in and have a look,” she told the publication.
