UPDATE, 9PM: Queensland is bracing for unprecedented fire conditions tomorrow, as more than 80 fires burn around the state.

The communities of Deepwater and surrounds on the Central Queensland coast were told to leave immediately as the bushfire continued to advance.

“I know that some people may not want to leave their homes. I know that this is an extremely difficult situation but I need you to please, please, listen to authorities and you must leave immediately,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this afternoon.

Extreme conditions are expected across the state on Wednesday as the heatwave continues.

Of particular concern, is a trough moving from the west towards the coast.

“That’s generating thunderstorms and lightning, but not a lot of rain unfortunately. So those dry lightning strikes are a chance to ignite further fires as it moves towards the coast,” State Manager Queensland at Bureau of Meteorology Bruce Gunn said.

“It’s doing that inland today and closer to the coast tomorrow. There’s drier air behind that trough and that just increases the fire danger along with the instability creates a very potent and dangerous situation.”

QFES Inspector Andrew Sturgess said they were unprecedented conditions in Queensland.

“We have a combination of dangerous elements aligning tomorrow. Wind changes, instability, firestorm, lots of spotting ahead of fires, these are not any way just a bad day, these are record conditions, these are extreme conditions the likes that we have never seen before in Queensland.”

The government has made the rare step of briefing every mayor from around the state, in anticipation for these dangerous conditions on Wednesday.

QFES Commissioner Katarina Carroll said 107 staff from NSW had been deployed in the Agnes Water area today and more help was on the way.

One hundred extra officers will arrive from NSW in the coming days, while Ms Carroll said 225 officers had been requested from elsewhere.

“What we have is the combination of the most horrendous conditions in the next 48 hours,” she said.

“The combination of the climate, the heat, the fire is just absolutely horrendous.

“The heatwave is continuing past that for another few days. There is no rain in this, and there is no respite.”

The weather bureau has forecast extreme heatwave conditions from Thursday Island down to Toowoomba.

Towns from the Northern Territory border to the east coast are forecast to experience temperatures above 40C through until Monday. Townsville recorded its hottest November day yesterday, at 41.7C.

As central Queensland’s worst bushfire bore down on his property, Deepwater’s Mark Reiser only had time to grab a photo of his kids and his little mate, Emily the joey.

Mr Reiser is one of more than 1500 people displaced from the community of Deepwater, about 60km north of Bundaberg, by unprecedented bushfires.

Students and teachers were last night forced to take shelter inside at classroom at Eungella Primary School after road closures.

UPDATE: Residents of Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach, and Oyster Creek have been told to leave immediately, as bushfires continue to advance making it likely it will soon be too dangerous to drive.

The latest advice from QFES is the extremely large and intense fire is travelling in a south-westerly direction towards Muller Rd and is expected to impact the above communities.

All Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek residents should evacuate in a westerly direction towards Miriam Vale using Tableland Rd and Fingerboard Road, QFES said.

The crossing at Hills Rd, Coast Rd and Oyster Creek Rd, Baffle Creek is under impending threat.

QFES said conditions are now very dangerous and firefighters may soon be unable to prevent the fire advancing.

“The fire may pose a threat to all lives directly in its path,” a statement read.

“Fire crews may not be able to protect your property.”

Rural Fire Service Gladstone area director Craig Magick said there is a possibility of access being cut to those areas.

“There is a possibility that the bridge out of Deepwater may become impacted and if it does that are will be cut off from all traffic during that time.

“If the bridge gets cut people will be stuck within that area during the fire.

“It’s a precaution at this moment, we’re not planning that that will occur but as I’ve discussed this fire is quite unpredictable and we’re doing everything we can to keep it within containment lines.”

EARLIER: Another community is now deemed under threat from bush fires in Queensland after police declared an emergency zone in an area around the town of Finch Hatton, 57km west of Mackay.

A statement from the Queensland Police Service stated that the declaration was made under the Public Safety and Preservation Act at 3.40pm.

Residents of the town are being urged to attend the Finch Hatton Show Grounds, now an evacuation centre, and register themselves with authorities.

The declaration area “encompasses the boundaries of Cattle Creek to the north; Debonis Rd to the west; Seninis Rd to the East and the Dalrymple Range to the South,” the statement said.

EARLIER: THE first glimpses of the fire devastation on the ground in central Queensland reveals several homes destroyed and many more damaged.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is predicting to find more than just four homes destroyed as the area is occupied by people living out of vans or tents.

A survey of the destruction took place this afternoon while the Boeing 737 waterbomber conducted more 15,000L drops on the fire from the sky.

Firefighters on the ground say one of the greatest challenges has been the rapid change of wind directions.

At a moment’s notice conditions have been still, only for a quick gust to emerge, blowing smaller spot fires into dry vegetation.

Properties along Pacific Drive at Deepwater are among some of the worst affected today.

The fire continues to track in a south-westerly direction towards the townships of Baffle Creek, Oyster Creek and Rules Beach.

Most residents have sought shelter in nearby Agnes Water and Miriam Vale, but other homeowners have remained in the fire zone in a bid to defend their homes.

Fire conditions are set to intensify around the communities of Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek, as fire fighters from around Queensland and interstate arrive to help battle the blaze.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services released a statement at 7.20am reiterating that residents in the area should be following their bushfire survival plans.

“The progress of the fire has slowed overnight but is expected to intensify throughout the day and will travel in a southwest direction,” the statement said.

A QFES spokesman said that forty crews were on the ground in Deepwater and a nearby separate fire-front at Round Hill.

He said residents in areas covered by the “watch and act” bushfire alert should heed the advice of authorities, since conditions were expected to deteriorate throughout today.

“It is still moving toward these communities and it is currently impacting the Deepwater community,” the spokesman said.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasted that fire weather conditions around Agnes Waters and Deepwater would ease slightly today, with northerly winds of 20-30kmh bringing some much needed moisture into the atmosphere. The current forecasted high for the area is 30C.

“Less of a dry westerly wind like we had yesterday and more of a sea breeze,” a Bureau spokesman said.

The spokesman warned that tomorrow would bring hotter conditions to the firezone (34-35C), alongside dry westerly winds which would make firefighting difficult.

“It’s going to be a pretty volatile day in terms of fire weather conditions,” the spokesman said.

A Firebird helicopter, capable of dousing bushfires from the skies was believed to be en route to the area, which was yesterday evening declared a disaster zone.

Two homes have been confirmed as destroyed by emergency services, although some media outlets were this morning claiming as many as four may have been razed by the fire.

EARLIER Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has told residents in the townships of Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek in central Queensland to leave now as a dangerous bushfire again threatens the region.

The latest QFES advice says the fire is currently travelling in a south, southwest direction from Capricornia Drive and Pacific Drive at Deepwater towards Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek.

“This fire is impacting the Deepwater community now and is expected to start to impact Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek within the next four hours,” the latest advice says.

“The fire could have a significant impact on all communities.

“All Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek residents should evacuate in a westerly direction towards Miriam Vale using Tableland Road and Fingerboard Road. The evacuation centre is the Miriam Vale Community Centre at 41 Blomfield Street.”

The Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford on Monday afternoon signed the disaster declaration for the Gladstone local government region, including the areas of Baffle Creek Catchment, Wartburg, Deepwater, Agnes Water, Round Hill, Miriam Vale and Bororen.

“These areas are under severe threat of fire or have already been hit by fire and the disaster declaration will ensure that the necessary agencies, including fire and emergency services and police have the powers they need to respond effectively,” he said.

“This includes giving police the power to forcibly remove residents and to stop them returning to their homes until it is completely safe.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was this afternoon briefed, and said Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Deepwater were areas of concern, as the fire moved southward.

“If you live in these areas you must listen to the authorities and you must leave,” she said.

“If you have left, do not return.

“There may be some people that want to go back, this intensity of this fire and the smoke conditions coming from this fire make it a health risk as well as a human safety risk.

“Queensland is going through and unprecedented heatwave at the moment.

“We’ve got temperatures in our state between 6 and 10 degrees higher than we’ve ever seen before at this time of year.

“We have more than 70 now wildfires throughout our state.

“All of our crews are doing everything they possibly can.

“We’ve got reinforcements coming from New South Wales.

“One hundred extra firefighters will be on the front line tomorrow. They’ve already sent the Coulson 737, the water bombing plane.

“I will also be contacting (Premier) Daniel Andrews to see if Victoria can reinforcements as well.”

QFES Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the fire perimeter had extended to 66km.

“For those that have moved out, we do not expect that they will be going back to their houses in the next few days,” she said.

On the ground in Deepwater there are 45 trucks on the ground, as well as seven aircraft assisting from above, she said.

Deepwater residents can now register for ‘Register.Find.Reunite’ a service by Red Cross Australia.

“If you’ve been affected, register now to let your friends and family know you’re OK — or inquire to see if your loved ones are safe and sound,” police said.

“To register or to find someone click on the link and follow the instructions online.

“A hotline is also available on: 1800 442 182”

Photographer John Wilson flew over Deepwater overnight and there were spot fires from Baffle Creek to Agnes Water, with some threatening properties in the area.

“All the way down the coast there was spot fires, as far as you could see,” he said. And (there was) quite heavy smoke … it looked fairly ominous.”

“It must have been quite eerie (on the ground). We flew out over the water and it was clear … and (looking inland) it was like a big curtain of billowing smoke right along the coast.”