A town has been saved after quick thinking firefighters joined forces to combat a fast moving blaze on Queensland’s border.
But crews are still battling a deadly fire that has destroyed more Queensland homes than the 2019 Black Summer disaster.
The 600-strong township appeared in the sights of a ferocious fire after strong winds and high temperatures ensured extreme conditions on Tuesday.
However, Queensland firefighters and a NSW waterbombing aircraft quickly launched a co-ordinated operation to save the day.
“The fire is now going around the town so the town has been saved - this is tremendous work,” premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
Another major concern was a Goodwood fire near Bundaberg north of Brisbane that destroyed a house and forced a school closure.
An evacuation centre has been set up at Childers after the “very active” blaze broke containment lines.
However, the biggest fire remains on the Western Downs, west of Brisbane.
Since last week the Tara blaze has claimed a life, burned more than 20,000 hectares and destroyed 53 homes - four more than the Black Summer fires claimed across Queensland.
“Unfortunately we are expecting that number to go up,” Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh told AAP.
Overall there were more than 1000 firefighters battling 80 blazes across Queensland on Tuesday.
More than 120 were required for the Tara blaze alone.
Wind gusting up to 50km/h and 37C heat made conditions worse for fatigued crews at Tara, prompting an extreme fire danger warning.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew into Queensland on Tuesday to pledge support, saying relief crews from Victoria and New Zealand were on their way.
“This is a difficult period and it’s going to be a difficult summer,” he said.
More crews have been requested from across the state with some from as far north as Cairns to arrive on the Western Downs.
With fatigue setting in, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Superintendent Cameron Herbert welcomed the reinforcements.
Almost 300 people in the Tara region were forced to flee homes and attend evacuation centres at Dalby and Chinchilla.
About 60 remain, with some returning to their homes.
However, many have lost everything.
Some have been taken to motels or houses across the region, while caravans were another option discussed by Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon in Dalby on Tuesday.
Police said there were three incidents of looting in the region with some evacuees having property stolen, including a car.
Patrols have been stepped up, with a command centre along with a recovery centre to be established at Tara.
Police also suspect four fires in the past two weeks on the Sunshine Coast may have been deliberately lit, including a weekend Beerwah blaze that threatened Australia Zoo.
There is federal government support available through the disaster recovery payment and allowance, with Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt visiting Dalby on Tuesday.
Mr. Albanese expected more than 40,000 claims to be made.
The Queensland government has offered financial assistance to affected families and on Tuesday unveiled support for primary producers with concessional loans up to $250,000 and freight assistance up to $5000.
“Please give generously. We really want to help these people. They have been through so much and every single dollar counts,” Ms. Palaszczuk said.
