At least one person has died in the flames in Queensland’s Western Downs region, police said on Wednesday.

The body of a man was discovered on a rural property on Tuesday night, but has not yet been identified, Queensland police said. It is feared the remains could be those of a missing local man.

More than 200 people have fled their homes to evacuation centres with many losing all their belongings, the AAP news agency reported, citing Western Downs Region mayor Paul McVeigh. He said it was not clear how many homes had been affected.

“At the moment, the official number is five, but unfortunately we know that number will rise in the face of such a fierce fire.”

Firefighters were completely exhausted, McVeigh said, adding that conditions were extremely difficult as the wind was constantly shifting and flames were sometimes 15m high.

Smaller towns such as Tara, Kogan, Millmerran and Wieambilla are particularly badly affected.

In the past few days, authorities had urged citizens to seek safety as it was unsafe for them to return to their homes, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said.

Currently, 53 bushfires are burning in Queensland. Authorities do not expect the situation to ease in the coming days due to high temperatures and strong winds.

According to meteorologists, it will not cool down until the weekend.

Some storms, which may bring rain and ease conditions, are expected. A QFES spokesman warned of the risk of dry lightning strikes starting more fires.