Heavy rain was raising hopes Friday for an end to Australia’s unprecedented bush fire crisis, as downpours douse blazes that have burned out of control for months.
The devastating fires, fuelled by prolonged drought and record-high temperatures, have raged since September, burning more than 25 million acres and killing 33 people.
An estimated billion animals have perished in the fires that destroyed more than 2,500 homes.
The rains in New South Wales (NSW), which began earlier in the week in some areas and are forecast to extend into next week, are expected to drench a number of the remaining fires and help contain others.
By Friday afternoon there were no bushfires burning in NSW at the most dangerous emergency or “watch and act” levels — a situation virtually unseen in almost half a year.
Beleaguered volunteer firefighters who have fought the blazes day-in-day-out declared themselves “over the moon” at the rain.
As the bushfire crisis abates, authorities are now bracing for possible flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a string of flood warnings and said some parts of NSW will see their highest rainfall totals in four years.
Bushfires are an annual problem during the southern summer, but flared far more widely and earlier than usual following months of severe drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.
