by A body has been found in a bushfire in Queensland's Western Downs.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the towns of Tara and Kogan on Tuesday as a fast-moving wildfire in the state's southwest was upgraded to an emergency alert.
Police are investigating after a body was found in Tara after a fire broke out in the area.
“This is an emerging situation and an investigation is underway,” said a police representative.
The police will prepare a report for the doctor.
Around 24 fires are currently burning across the state, with conditions worsening overnight in the Western Downs region.
The Tara resident told the Courier-Mail it “feels like (the town) is being targeted”.
“This fire is like nothing I've ever seen,” said a resident. I was a volunteer firefighter in WA but that's something else. “
Tara resident Lenny Sawa told TODAY on Tuesday that his home was “burnt down” after a fire destroyed his property.
An emergency warning was issued in Tara and Kogan earlier on Wednesday as a “large, fast-moving fire” moved east towards Goranba and Veranga.
Residents were told to “leave immediately” because their “life could be at risk” and it would “soon become very dangerous”, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said in a statement.
Properties between Bennett School Road, Mary Road, Joseph Road, Weranga North Road, Tara Kogan Road and Spinifex Road, including Chinchilla Tara Road, will be affected.
A firefighting aircraft was activated to assist ground fire crews as the fire intensified.
The neighboring suburb of Viambila was placed under evacuation orders after residents were told conditions could “deteriorate rapidly”.
Residents of Millmerran Downs were back under evacuation orders overnight after a fire ravaged the region earlier in the week, damaging many properties.
Aerial footage of the fire Monday showed bright orange flames raging through the tree canopy.
