Eight thousand residents of Gracemere have been urged to leave as schools were closed because of the fire threat

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Mandatory evacuations of 8,000 residents of Gracemere in Queensland are under way as a wildfire approached homes in catastrophic fire conditions.

Despite the extreme danger, some residents were refusing to leave and businesses were still trading in the central Queensland community on Wednesday evening.

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 were in danger and to move to safety immediately.

Further south, a massive bushfire that has destroyed homes and sent 1,500 people fleeing continued to rage in Queensland’s Deepwater region, though most people had managed to escape.

The firestorm between Gladstone and Bundaberg has destroyed four houses, razed other structures and thousands of hectares of bush and farmland, but some locals have ignored urgent orders to leave.

Corinne May (@CorinneEMay) LEAVE IMMEDIATELY: Fast moving fire heading towards Mt Larcom, impacting Taylors Lane. If Sth of fire head to Gladstone Entertainment Centre. If north, head to #Rockhampton showgrounds. I’ll have the latest @WINNews_ROK 6pm pic.twitter.com/NXkhg2LuMP

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, pledged federal help for the Queensland bushfire emergency on Wednesday evening, activating the commonwealth disaster assistance plan, allowing the Queensland state government to seek federal help, as well as financial assistance.

The Australian defence force has been providing refuelling capacity in Amberley, south-west of Brisbane and is also helping in New South Wales.

“The entire country is coming to your aid. The entire country is there to help in this time of great need,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

“I have no immediate plans, nor does the deputy prime minister [Michael McCormack] to visit the area.

“The advice to us is that we need people to focus on the firefighting effort and the firefighting response.”

Thousands evacuated, schools closed

The entire 10km section of the Capricorn highway between Gracemere and Rockhampton was gridlocked on Wednesday afternoon, locals told Guardian Australia. A group of about 80 elderly residents from a nursing home were being assisted to leave.

The conditions were rated as potentially “catastrophic” – a combination of fierce, gusting winds, low humidity and record high temperatures.

Earlier, 34 schools were closed and parents were warned to come and collect their children and stay out of danger as firefighters battled 138 fires.

The Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, said 29 state schools and five non-state schools had been closed immediately in areas where dangerous blazes were threatening people and property.

“This is the first time we have had this category in Queensland,” she said.

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“Unprecedented, uncharted, but we have a plan and we are going to follow that plan. That is why we have taken the urgent action of closing schools.”

Rachel McGhee (@rachelmcgheeabc) Malchi-9 Mile Road Gracemere central Queensland #QLDFires @abcnews @abcbrisbane pic.twitter.com/s8nrmgY4It

Gracemere state school was one of the 37 closed.

The Gracemere BP petrol station remained open on Thursday afternoon as people fleeing the fire called in for petrol and supplies.

BP staffer Trulie Lynch said people she had seen were very stressed.

“People have the kids and they have the family pets, but we aren’t going anywhere. We’ll only go when we are told we have to,” Lynch said.

The Queensland police commissioner, Ian Stewart, warned people in the area not to go home but not to panic.

“If you are picking up the kids, don’t go home, go to the showgrounds at Rockhampton,” Stewart said.

“Please don’t panic. I urge people to think about their safety, the safety of their loved ones, the safety of their neighbours. Police will be out there trying to door-knock as quickly as we can to help with this evacuation.

Earlier, Brian Smith, regional manager for the Rural Fire Services Central Region, said experts in fire behaviour had predicted catastrophic conditions would unfold in the area north of Bundaberg on Wednesday afternoon.

“This is something we don’t want to overstate, but they’re comparing this to the conditions in the Waroona fires in Western Australia, which completely wiped out a town a few years ago, and also to the recent California fires,” he said.

He said the unpredictable fires were being fanned by gusty westerly winds, which started blowing at about midday.

Allyson Horn (@allysonhorn) More horrific vision coming in from Deepwater in Central Queensland. These fires are catastrophic. Truly scary. #QLDFires @abcbrisbane pic.twitter.com/y0el1Ounqw

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned records have fallen and more are expected to fall as the state swelters through the heatwave and bushfire crisis.

North Queensland has already hit maximum temperatures with Proserpine the hottest in the state so far at 42.9 degrees.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has been deployed at fires across the state, as well was more than 100 NSW firefighters and 100 South Australian firefighters. Another 220 firefighters have been requested from other Australian states.

The fire and emergency services minister, Craig Crawford, said on Wednesday morning that people not following evacuation orders were risking death by staying put.

The firestorm would likely create “dead man zones” which would be impossible to survive, even in a car.

“That’s basically a space that you get into where the humidity, the temperature, the fire creates its own weather cell and it becomes an area that is almost unliveable for a short period of time,” Crawford said.

“It’s the kind of conditions that could consume a vehicle very fast ... if we get through today and we haven’t had them we will be so fortunate it isn’t funny.”

Temperatures in Bowen reached 41.1 and, further south, Rockhampton hit 41.7.

The heatwave has prompted a warning from Queensland Health for people to stay hydrated as paramedics treat record numbers of patients affected by heat.

Dr Sonya Bennett said the combination of a record heatwave with smoke and dust was extremely dangerous.

“Heat can be a severe health risk, particularly the young, the elderly and people with chronic health conditions,” she said.

People have been urged to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and limit outdoor or strenuous activities and to stay in a cool area if possible.

Heat stress symptoms include a rash, sweating, nausea vomiting, hot dry skin and fainting.

Anyone suffering any of those symptoms should seek medical attention.

Meanwhile, thousands of heat-stressed bats were dropping from trees and creating a health hazard in far north Queensland, as a record-breaking heatwave blasted the region.

About 3,500 flying foxes were estimated to have perished since the furnace-like conditions began on Sunday, a Cairns regional council spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Health authorities warned residents not to handle distressed flying foxes after a spike in bites and scratches.