Residents of two more Queensland communities have been told to leave immediately ahead of a fast-moving blaze as the state's bushfire crisis rolls on.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from communities in central Queensland after catastrophic fire conditions on Wednesday.
Early on Thursday, residents of two more communities - Campwin Beach and Sarina Beach, south of Mackay - were woken by police and emergency text messages telling them they must leave.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service said homes and lives were under threat and police have declared an emergency.
Firefighters warn the conditions are very dangerous and they are struggling to have any effect on the blaze.
More than 100 fires continue to burn across the state but favourable conditions overnight allowed firefighters to make some progress on one major fire at Gracemere, near Rockhampton.
About 8000 people were ordered out of that community on Wednesday, with hundreds of them spending the night at an evacuation centre at the Rockhampton Showgrounds.
There have been no reports so far of property losses in Gracemere, and police have just told residents that roads have reopened and they can go home, but fire crews continue to closely monitor that fire.
The Bruce Highway at Mount Larcom, inland from Gladstone, remains cut as crews assess a stretch of the route amid fears burnt trees could fall on to cars.
Dangerous bushfire conditions are expected again on Thursday but authorities hope they won't rival what was seen on Wednesday when the state's fire danger rating reached "catastrophic" for the first time in its history.
The Bureau of Meteorology says winds won't reach the speeds seen on Wednesday, but hot and very dry conditions mean the fire danger remains very high.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner Gary McCormack said the main areas of concern were from central Queensland north to Townsville.
"These conditions are not over with yet. Certainly we are looking at this into the weekend," he told the Nine Network.
Authorities still don't know exactly how many homes have been lost since the crisis began last weekend.
But some were lost in the first major blaze, around Deepwater National Park, halfway between Bundaberg and Gladstone, and at Finch Hatton, west of Mackay.
Meanwhile, the communities of Deepwater, Baffle Creek, Rules Beach and Oyster Creek remain under evacuation orders.
Firefighters have been brought in from interstate to help, with the crisis far from over as hot conditions are expected to continue for days.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged federal help for Queenslanders affected by the fires and begged people to heed evacuation orders.
"You can rebuild a home, but you can't rebuild a family," he said.
More than 40 schools in central Queensland remained closed on Thursday.
