Residents of a town on the Queensland-NSW border have been told it’s too late to leave and to hunker down in brick buildings as a bushfire approaches quickly.
“Your life is in danger. You need to seek shelter immediately to survive,” says the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services alert for the town of Wallangarra, in the Southern Downs region of Queensland.
“Do not try to leave. Driving now could be deadly.”
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People in the town have been told to seek shelter in a brick building with “multiple escape points”.
“As the fire approaches and passes, the safest place will change so be ready to move quickly,” QFES said.
Meanwhile, a deadly blaze at Tara, in the Western Downs, continues to burn after destroying more homes than the 2019 Black Summer fires, with fears even more will be lost.
Firefighters are battling extreme conditions, with the prime minister warning of a “difficult summer” ahead.
Anthony Albanese flew into Queensland on Tuesday to pledge his support for bushfire victims dealing with the Western Downs blaze’s “heartbreaking scenes”.
The Tara fire has been burning for more than a week, claiming one life and forcing hundreds to evacuate.
Wind gusts of up to 40km/h and 37C heat have made conditions even worse for crews trying to contain the erratic blaze, prompting an extreme fire danger warning.
More destroyed homes have been discovered in the region, with the tally now sitting at 53 — four more than the Black Summer fires claimed across Queensland.
“Some areas are still too hot to get into. Unfortunately, we are expecting that number to go up,” Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh told AAP.
“It’s going to be a very dangerous day for fighting fires.”
About 120 firefighters and almost 30 trucks are battling the Tara blaze on Tuesday with aerial support.
There are about 70 fires burning across Queensland on Tuesday.
Overall there have been 900 across the state in the past 10 days.
Albanese said relief crews from Victoria and New Zealand were on their way to relieve exhausted firefighters.
He urged people to monitor safety advice to avoid further tragedy.
“These are heartbreaking scenes when people lose their houses,” he told reporters at Bundaberg.
“We’ve seen tragically a loss of life. I again say to people in fire areas that when authorities provide advice please follow the advice.
“This is a difficult period, and it’s going to be a difficult summer.”
Almost 300 people on the Western Downs were forced to flee their homes and attend evacuation centres at Dalby and Chinchilla.
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