More than 100 fires are breaking out across Australia
Australia's worst bushfire season since the so-called "black summer" has had deadly consequences.
More than 100 fires broke out across the country on Thursday, with Queensland officials saying the blaze near the town of Tara had killed two people.
Two people were also killed in firefighting in New South Wales (NSW) last week.
For months, authorities have been warning that multiple scenarios mean this bushfire season will be extremely dangerous.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said in a briefing that around 350 people had been evacuated in the Tara area, where runaway blazes have so far burned more than 11,000 hectares and destroyed 16 homes.
They said a man died Tuesday night while trying to protect his property and a woman died Wednesday of cardiac arrest as she prepared to evacuate.
Overnight dry thunderstorms sparked several new fires in the same area. Many are under control, but one of them has triggered an emergency warning.
But conditions could worsen again on Thursday, with temperatures and wind speeds expected to increase.
"Today is another challenging day for us as we move into an area of extreme fire hazard," said Peter Hollier, acting assistant chief of the Rural Fire Department.
Elsewhere, firefighters are fighting fires in New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory.
Last week, an experienced volunteer firefighter in NSW died from medical malpractice while on duty in the northern part of the state, and another man died while trying to protect his property on the Mid-North Coast. Authorities said earlier this week they believed the three fires in the area were deliberately lit.
Australia has been on high alert for bushfire hazards. That's because years of rainfall-driven plant growth are becoming drier after the warmest winter on record, while the El Niño-affected summer heralds hotter and drier months ahead.