About 130 fires were burning on Thursday afternoon, with people urged to evacuate in several communities near Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Mackay.

About 3pm, residents in the small town of Tinnanbar, south-east of Maryborough, were told it was too late to leave and their best option was to shelter in place as driving would be extremely dangerous.

Residents of Winfield and Captain Creek, north of Bundaberg; Stanwell, Kabra, Alton Downs and The Caves, near Rockhampton; and Broken River, near Mackay, were all urged to evacuate.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said 15 sheds, two cabins, two houses, a bus and an excavator were destroyed by fires, with 15 firefighters suffering from severe heat stress.

Gallant efforts by firefighters on Wednesday night saved the town of Gracemere and meant more than 8000 residents evacuated at short notice were able to return home.

Ms Carroll said authorities used state-of-the-art prediction software to save the town and lives, amid "unimaginable conditions".

"We used simulation technology across the state to make early and key decisions yesterday ... our structures have stood up extremely well in the last three days," she said.

Ms Carroll said fire seasons were getting longer and began six weeks earlier than expected this year, while warning the risk was not yet over.

"We have emerging issues here as we speak today, but also across the state," she said, from Kabra, near Rockhampton, where fire ripped cane fields and at least one home.

Residents in some communities west of Gladstone, such as Ambrose and Mount Larcom, were able to return home, although Mount Larcom State School and two other buildings in the region were damaged.

The thankful return came as firefighters battled against dry, hot winds which wreaked havoc with their efforts and an unprecedented catastrophic fire danger warning for Capricornia, the Central Highlands and Coalfields regions.

There were other heart-warming stories to emerge from the front lines, including a Queensland firefighter pictured giving a puppy a drink of water and NSW Rural Fire Service members filmed dragging a sheep to safety after it fled fires at Deepwater and became bogged.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there were still four or five tough days ahead but expressed relief that no lives had been lost.

"We're still not out of the woods, we still have severe heatwave conditions across the state, affecting almost the entire state over the next week or so," she said.

Ms Palaszczuk flew to the town of Kabra, near Rockhampton, on Thursday where images emerged of a burnt out car, fire-damaged house and cane fields.

She said conditions were "horrendous", with huge winds and incredible heat.

"These firefighters are heroes. They're absolute heroes in my books," she said.

Bureau of Meteorology state manager Bruce Gunn said Cairns had recorded three consecutive days above 40 degrees, which was a first.

"This story is by no means over, the period of high temperatures is still unprecedented ... There are too many records for me to memorise," he said.

The updated summer weather outlook came as Queenslanders were warned to prepare for a hot, dry summer ahead.

Firefighters from Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and NSW joined exhausted Queensland crews this week.

Smoke plumes were so thick, they were clearly visible burning along the Queensland coastline on satellite imagery.

Several state and non-state schools will reopen on Friday, with 10 state schools and 23 early childhood centres listed as closed on Thursday afternoon.

- with Toby Crockford, Lydia Lynch, Jocelyn Garcia, AAP