On top of conventional heatwave safety concerns, there are now warnings about bats falling from the sky.
As Queensland temperatures rise well into the 30s, two of the web-winged mammals have this week plummeted to the earth, prompting health alerts.
Queensland Health says bats, most particularly flying foxes, become affected by the heat and pose a risk to eager-to-help residents.
Dr Heidi Carroll from the Communicable Diseases Unit says people should avoid trying to help them if they don't know what they're doing.
"That's where we can run into trouble, because sometimes flying foxes carry Lyssavirus, which is a very deadly disease," Dr Carroll told AAP on Friday.
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She said bats fall to the ground for a variety of reasons but at this time of year and especially as temperatures rise, the most common cause is heat.
"Across Queensland in the last week we're aware of at least two incidents where bats have fallen to the ground, and people have gone to help them," she said.
"We see over 200 cases per year where people have handled bats and need to call health officials.
"In recent weeks we've seen those numbers increasing, which we expected due to the increasing temperatures."
People who do find bats on the ground are urged to leave them alone and call a wildlife officer.
