EMERGENCY: Residents Told Leave Now Amid Massive Sarabah Bushfire

UPDATE: An emergency warning has been issued for the Sarabah bushfire with residents told to leave their homes immediately.

As of 4.15pm Friday, the dangerous blaze was travelling south towards Lamington National Park, burning through areas at Tabletop Road, Illinbah Road and Gray Road.

According to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services conditions are now extremely dangerous and fire crews may soon be unable to prevent the fire advancing.

People south of Rymera Road, on Sarabah Road, and people on Tabletop Road and Gray Road are advised to evacuate in north and easterly directions.

A place of refuge is available at Tamborine Village Memorial Hall, 2720 Waterford Tamborine Road, if required. 

Power, water and mobile phone services may be lost as well, and roads may become too treacherous to travel over the next several hours.

UPDATE 12.50pm: Residents at Sarabah area south of Canungra are being told to leave now as a massive bushfire burns through the Gold Coast Hinterland.

The official warning is still a Watch And Act, but those in the area are told leaving now is the safest option if it is clear to do so.

Residents out of the area are also told not to return as conditions are too dangerous.

The bushfire was travelling in an easterly direction towards Beechmont Road.

It was expected to affect Darlington Range Road, Climax Court, Limerick Drive, Coral Court, Bode Court and Shay Place before 2.30pm on Friday.

The community is warned the fire could have a significant impact.

Those leaving the area should travel north or south along Beaudesert-Nerang Road.

EARLIER: Fire crews are racing to bring a massive bushfire in the Gold Coast Hinterland under control before the situation turns dire this afternoon.

Residents in Sarabah south of Canungra have been warned to be prepared to leave their homes.

The fire danger warning was increased to severe on the Gold Coast with hot and dry weather set to combine with wind gusts up to 50km an hour on Friday.

Dozens of fire crews were en route to the scene of the blaze from interstate, with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services resources stretched thin across almost 40 active bushfires throughout the state.

People in the Sarabah area are asked to be ready to follow their bushfire survival plans and evacuate in case the situation worsens.

The blaze was last burning in a northerly direction between Lamington National Park Road and Upper Coomera Road / Beechmont Road.

Call Triple Zero (000) immediately if you believe your property is under threat.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
• Listen to your local radio station or visit the Rural Fire Service (RFS) website for regular updates.
• If you have a bushfire survival plan, finalise it now so you are ready to follow it.
• If you do not have a bushfire survival plan, or if your plan is to leave, identify where you will go if you leave the area.
• Advise family and friends of your plan.
• Close windows and doors to minimise smoke exposure.
• If you suffer from a respiratory condition, keep your medication close by.
• Drive with caution in low visibility conditions.
• Contact your neighbours to see if they need help preparing for the bushfire.
• Pack important documents and essential items (e.g., passports, birth certificates, prescription medication, food and water, and protective clothing) in case you need to leave the area.
• Put on protective clothing (e.g., a long-sleeved cotton shirt, boots with thick soles).
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Bring pets inside; restrain them with a leash, a cage, or inside a secure room; and provide them with plenty of water.
• Take action to protect your livestock.
• Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins, and outdoor furniture away from your house.
• Fill containers such as your bath, sinks, and buckets with water so you have access to drinking water and firefighting water.
• Close windows and doors, sealing the gaps under doors and screens with wet towels to keep smoke out of the house.