Australia bushfires: Rain brings relief but huge blazes expected
Rain has poured in fire-hit parts of Australia and temperatures have fallen, but officials have warned that blazes could “take off” again.
Rain in the form of soot was reported to have fallen down from the east coast from Sydney to Melbourne. “Torrential” rain has also been reported in some parts of New South Wales (NSW).
Read More: Australian bushfire smoke turns New Zealand’s glaciers brown
On Sunday night, however, night officials warned temperatures will soar again by coming Thursday.
They also had said that huge fires in Victoria and New South Wales could join together to create what is being called a “mega blaze.”
“There is no room for complacency,” NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned on Monday morning.
“This morning it is all about recovery, making sure people who have been displaced have somewhere safe.”
The Australian Army said it sent supplies, staff, and vehicles off Adelaide’s coast to Kangaroo Island. The bushfires have destroyed the island, killing two people last week.
The army also sent missions of reconnaissance and assistance to NSW and Victoria.
Read More: Australia fires: Thousands flee to beach to escape
The weekend has seen some of the worst days of the crisis so far, with loss of hundreds of homes. Rural towns and major towns have seen red clouds dropping ash and haze covering the air.
But on Monday, after the weather change, there were no emergency warnings in fire-struck areas.
Early Monday morning, between a wildfire in Victoria’s Corryong and two burning in NSW’s Kosciuszko National Park, there was only about 10 km.
“This is going to be an evolving, dynamic situation,” he said, warning that the fires would follow across the border was “inevitable.”
In the meantime, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that over the next two years A$ 2bn ($1.4bn;$1.1bn) would be committed to rehabilitation.
Since the new year 2020 started, fires have ravaged more than 8 million hectares of land across Australia.
The fire killed 25 people, destroyed thousands of building.
According to reports, more than 135 fires are still burning across the state, including almost 70 that are yet to be contained. Australians were expecting summer wildfires. But the blazes arrived early this year, fed by drought and the country’s hottest and driest year on record.
