Three more homes have been destroyed in southeast Queensland's bushfire crisis, as fire crews brace for a heatwave and tricky winds.
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Authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning that the three homes had been burnt at Ravensbourne near Toowoomba on the Darling Downs, taking the total number of homes lost in the recent fires to 19.
That fire - known as the Pechey blaze - is one of three infernos expected to cause major headaches for firefighters over the next few days.
The others include a cluster of fires in the Border Ranges region, from Cunninghams Gap to Mount Barney and Mount Lindsay, and one on Moreton Island.
Fire crews spent Monday and Tuesday strengthening containment lines ahead of Wednesday's heatwave, which will see temperatures soar to mid-to-high 30s near some of the major fires.
Some parts of the state's interior will exceed 40C.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the wind will shift direction at around 4pm on the Darling Downs and will test those on the ground.
"That will mean tricky fire conditions for those fire crews," meteorologist Dean Narramore told AAP.
Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio is fearful of the weather ahead, saying his community is facing dangerous times.
Residents are on water restrictions while work continues to restore power to pumps at the city's main reservoir after it was cut by fire.
Around 70 fires were burning across the state on Wednesday, with no end in sight to the crisis.
There are fears recent fires on the Sunshine Coast which threatened the area around Noosa North Shore may still be burning underground through the tree root systems, and could reignite in the hot and windy weather.
Two teenagers charged over a fire in September that destroyed one home and forced thousands of Sunshine Coast residents to flee will face a closed court hearing on Wednesday over their alleged behaviour.
The 14-year-old Peregian Springs boy and a 15-year-old Coolum Beach girl were charged with endangering particular property by fire with police alleging they lit the blaze in bushland.
It quickly spread towards Peregian Beach forcing a mass evacuation.
Eighteen people have been charged with deliberately lighting fires in Queensland since November 9.
Of those, 10 are juveniles who are being dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.
Australian Associated Press
