Up to 800 people have been told to leave their homes in Deepwater and Baffle Creek immediately as a "dangerous and unpredictable" bushfire bears down on their communities.
Emergency services say the fire is 50 kilometres in length. Photo: Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
Firefighters and police have been doorknocking in the communities north of Bundaberg since midday on Sunday, warning locals of the ongoing threat.
At least one home has already been lost and authorities expect the fire, which is 50 kilometres long, to burn for days.
Speaking from Emergency Management Queensland in Brisbane, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the size of the fire was causing problems for crews.
"The intensity of this fire covers some 9,000 hectares, and the flames are more than 10 to 12 metres high," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"This is an unusual, extremely unusual for Queensland, and the worst is not over. We expect this to be happening for a few more days."
"Please, I urge all families to look after one another and please evacuate immediately."
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services inspector Andrew Sturgeous said it was "not a run-of-the-mill fire by any means".
Ambulance vehicles at Deepwater, where a large fire is burning. Photo: Queensland Ambulance Service
"This fire and the fire weather we're experiencing is not something we see … it's a very rare event," he said.
"This extreme heatwave that we're experiencing across the state, in particular the northern parts of the state, is an extreme weather event.
"And we now have a fire burning under these extreme conditions - it's not a run-of-the mill fire by any stretch.
"If you've seen fires before and you stayed at home … this is not like those other fires. This is a fire you need to pay particular attention to.
"We haven't seen this in Queensland before."
Inspector Sturgeous said they expected strong northerly winds to push the fire towards Deepwater and Baffle Creek until 10pm when they're expected to die down.
"Even after that this fire will continue to burn and spread right throughout the night. It will burn and spread again tomorrow [Monday]," he said.
More than 40 fire trucks, 100 firefighters and six waterbombing aircraft were working to contain the blaze.
An evacuation centre has been established at Miriam Vale Community Centre on Blomfield Street.
Wartburg State School, at Baffle Creek, will be closed on Monday.
- ABC
