Australia has been waiting for this message for months: All fires in the most severely affected state are under control. The rain of the past days has favored the extinguishing work.
Canberra / Sydney (dpa) - The bushfires that have raged for months in the Australian state of New South Wales are all under control, according to official information. After a "very traumatic and exhausting" fire season, this was "great news", the fire department said on Twitter.
In the southeastern state, which was hardest hit by the fires, millions of hectares of land have been burned since September. 25 people died there, including six firefighters, and more than 2400 houses were destroyed by the flames.
Heavy rain then set in at the beginning of February and flooded entire areas. However, the storms favored the extinguishing work: "The fire department worked very hard, but it would not have been possible without the rain," said fire department spokesman James Morris of the German Press Agency. For the coming days, meteorologists expect heavy rain and high waves along the coast.
The long-awaited rainfall also cost at least one human life. After heavy rains, the body of a 75-year-old kayak paddler was found in a river in neighboring Queensland. According to the police, the man was previously missing. In addition, a 26-year-old woman was searched at a waterfall in the Gold Coast tourist region. Aid had to start at least 19 rescue operations, including for a nursing home that was evacuated because of the water masses.
In New South Wales alone, there were about a dozen flood warnings. In Sydney and the surrounding area, more than 20,000 households were still without electricity due to the rain. In the Pacific, cyclone "Uesi" moved towards the Australian Lord Howe Island, which is about 600 kilometers east of the continent. The cyclone could possibly reach level two out of five. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cyclone is unlikely to reach the mainland, it said.
According to the fire department, 24 fires are still burning in New South Wales. Most of them are small and "very likely" will not spread, said fire department spokesman Morris. "We are extremely happy. It is a huge relief." The fire department is still in use to monitor the affected areas. Because: "The fire season is not over." Sometimes it lasts until April.
