Officials from Queensland, Australia, reported on October 31 that a wildfire near the town of Tara in the state probably has caused one death, destroyed over 50 homes, and burned about 20,000 hectares of farmland and bushland, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. This large fire has been burning for over a week, and local authorities have reported finding a male body in the fire zone last week, although the cause of death is yet to be determined.

Reportedly, there are currently around 70 active fire points in Queensland and nine in the southern state of New South Wales, indicating an early start to Australia's wildfire season. Experts suggest that the current El Nino phenomenon is bringing hotter and drier weather to the densely populated southeastern regions of Australia. This year's wildfire season could potentially be the most destructive since the Black Summer fires in 2019, which claimed 33 lives, destroyed over 3,000 homes, and consumed an area of about 19 million hectares.