Brisbane swelters under hottest September day in years as east coast faces unseasonably warm weather

Queensland capital hits 34.4C as firefighters battle fast-moving bushfire in Lockyer Valley west of Ipswich

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Residents have been put on high alert as an unseasonably hot start to spring gives way to blazes and increased fire risks in the nation's east.

Queensland fire authorities issued local fire bans for Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley on Sunday as temperatures typically seen in summer gripped the state's south-east in early September.