Severe thunderstorms drenched North Stradbroke Island on Monday, but a large bushfire is still burning and the sandy terrain is likely to dry out quickly.
A band of storms dumped about 60 millimetres of rain on the island as it swept over southeast Queensland on Monday evening.
But fire information officer Liane Henderson said the blaze, which prompted the evacuation of about 900 campers on New Year’s Day, was still burning on Tuesday morning.
She said the sandy terrain, although drenched overnight, would likely dry out quickly.
‘‘We may have had that rain, but by no means does that get us out of the woods,’’ she said.
‘‘A lot of people think that just because we’ve had 60 millimetres of rain the fire is out, it’s not, it’s still going. Well and truly.’’
Once a lush, island oasis, fire has left much of North Stradbroke Island a smouldering landscape of tree stumps and ash. Twisted power poles stand alone, surrounded by blackened earth.
The gritty haze over Brisbane this week sent a message to everyone, even those living in the heart of the CBD, that the bush was burning.
Lives and homes were spared by the efforts of firefighters who battled the blaze amid soaring temperatures, but the same cannot be said for the 15,000 hectares of national park and bushland that have been destroyed.
North Stradbroke Island councillor Craig Ogilvie has watched the fire - sparked by lightning nine days ago - tear across the island.
"It's not a pretty picture," he said.
"What was a green and lush island has turned into, in parts, a black, hellish landscape."
North Stradbroke Island, fondly referred to as "Straddie" by southeast Queensland locals, is the second largest sand island in Moreton Bay and an appealing 45-minute ferry ride from Brisbane.
Those intent on making a sea-change have found the island irresistible. It is cooler on the island, where spectacular rocky outcrops make ideal perches to watch the parade of humpback whales on their annual migration.
White sand stretches for miles on Main Beach where, come the summer holiday season, families set up camp and children delight in spotting pods of surfing dolphins and even the odd sea turtle. Further inland spring-fed lakes emerge from the bush making pristine watering holes.
The island's three major towns have been spared the worst of the fires so far, due to back-burning.
"The problem of course is that a lot of the wildlife wouldn't have been able to escape the fire. We're definitely going to lose a lot in that regard," Cr Ogilvie said.
More than 60 per cent of the island has burned, with some estimating three in every five trees have been destroyed. Thousands of animals have likely perished.
With the fires continuing to burn, estimating the toll on the fauna and flora is impossible.
Eight rural fire crews were working to put out embers and spot fires on Tuesday morning, with helicopters on reconnaissance flights to map the main fire front.
Phil Wilson from the Fire and Rescue Service said crews would remain on alert.
‘‘We've been caught in the past and North Stradbroke Island has a habit of coming up and biting us again after rain so we'll be monitoring that all night and again tomorrow,’’ he told 612 ABC Brisbane.
