Photo: ReutersA shipping container loaded with fireworks has exploded and residents have been warned to flee as an unpredictable fire closes in on homes in southeast Queensland. Smoke from the blaze has added to the haze across the southeast as a southerly change pushes smoke from the NSW fires into the state. The southeast corner of the state remains shrouded in smoke, with the World Health Quality index showing unhealthy levels of air quality across parts of Queensland. Of the 45 fires burning across the state, fires at Redbank Creek near Esk, Millmerran on the Darling Downs and Wivenhoe remain at advice levels. Some fires are generating plumes of smoke that are so vast, they appear as rain on the bureau's radar.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 07, 2019 05:03 UTC