Bushfire across Australia's Fraser Island continues

SYDNEY -- The bushfire on the Fraser Island off the east coast of the Australian state of Queensland is still burning at multiple fronts while the high fire danger conditions are expected to last over the weekend in the area, a spokesperson from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said on Friday.

The bushfire, alleged of being started by an illegal campfire, has already burned about 82,000 hectares, roughly half the size of the World Heritage island, the spokesperson told Xinhua.

All the bushfires currently on the world's largest sand island are connected but burning at multiple fronts which prompted authorities to issue different alerts to people living on different parts of the island.

There were 17 aircraft, including the large air tanker dropping almost one million litres of water on the island, combined with the groundwork from over 90 personnel battling the blaze. This significantly slowed the spread of the fire in the past two days, QFES said.

However, with the high fire danger condition expected to last till Monday, the authorities issued prepare-to-leave warning to residents living near a major resort on the island.

"People at the Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village should follow the directions of QFES and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service officers," QFES said in a statement on Friday.

"You need to be ready to follow your bushfire survival plan. If you do not have a plan, or intend to leave, you should be ready to leave the area because the situation could get worse quickly."