Aussie fires rage despite rain
Downpours also cause floods and kill fish as ash flows into rivers
SYDNEY: Heavy rain fell on bushfires in eastern Australia for a second straight day, offering further relief from a months-long crisis, but dozens of blazes remained out of control.
This week’s wet weather has given exhausted firefighters a major boost in battling unprecedented blazes that have been fuelled by climate change and drought.
The fires have claimed 28 lives, scorched massive tracts of pristine forests and destroyed thousands of homes. Following months of hot and dry weather that have fuelled the fires, yesterday saw the heaviest rainfalls in nearly a decade in some areas close to hotspots.
“Rain has fallen across most fire grounds over the last 24 hours, which is great news,” said the Rural
Fire Service of New South Wales, the eastern state where many of the worst blazes have raged.
However, 30 fires were still out of control in New South Wales yesterday, unchanged from the previous day, the fire service reported.
Dozens of other fires were also still burning in the southern state of Victoria. And the rain has completely missed Kangaroo Island, the nation’s third biggest off the southern coast of the mainland that is famed for its pristine wilderness.
Still, the prospect of more wet weather across eastern and southern Australia over the coming days offered further hope.
Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the weekend in New South Wales, expanding into other fire zones further south in the state and in Victoria.
Roughly a billion animals are estimated to have died in the fires nationwide.
With huge tracts of their habitats destroyed, environmental groups have warned the blazes could drive many species to extinction.
Much attention has focused on Australia’s tree-dwelling koalas, with images of the cuddly-looking animals being rescued from wildfires making world headlines.
But yesterday morning, some koalas and other native animals at the Australia Reptile Park on the east coast of New South Wales had to be rescued from floodwaters.
“This is incredible, just last week, we were having daily meetings to discuss the imminent threat of bushfires,” park director Tim Faulkner said.
“Today, we’ve had the whole team acting fast to secure the safety of our animals and defend the park from the onslaught of water.
“We haven’t seen flooding like this at the park for over 15 years.”
The heavy rain is seen as a double-edged sword. The water could also make it harder for fire trucks to venture into forests on muddy tracks, authorities have warned.
Flash floods are another concern, with scorched mountains unable to hold the water and potentially sending torrents of muddy ash into waterways.
Such torrents have already led to huge numbers of fish dying in rivers that were poisoned by the muddy ash, local media have reported.