Australian state swings from flames to floods in 24 hours

Less than 24 hours after residents in parts of Australia’s Victoria state fled bush fires, authorities warned on Wednesday of flooding as heavy rain douses flames and swells rivers in the southeastern state.

Flash flooding is expected through Wednesday afternoon in northeastern Victoria, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, as rain drenched parts of the state where as recently as Tuesday about 17,000 hectares were ablaze.

First responders rescued a farmer in the area overnight who got trapped after driving through floodwaters, according to chief officer operations Tim Wiebusch at Victoria state emergency service.

Parts of the state had received as much as 150mm of rain, almost eight times the state’s average in September, with more expected on Wednesday, he said.

“Fortunately we have seen some rainfall across those two fires,” Wiebusch added. “But over these next 24, 48 hours flash flooding, riverine flooding, is really the biggest risk. We can’t emphasise enough, people need to be alert to their conditions.”

The rain comes during an unseasonably dry Australian spring, which began in September. Last month was the driest September on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with rainfall 71% below the 1961-90 average.

Firefighters are working to contain bush fires in two parts of Victoria but authorities said there was no immediate threat to residents.

Across the border in New South Wales, a 5,200ha bush fire was out of control near the town of Bermagui, about 300km southwest of Sydney.

“I just feel anxious and a bit on edge because we don’t really know yet what’s next,” Sheena Boughen, a resident of a nearby town, told state broadcaster ABC.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on a visit to the area that the severity of the fires were likely to rekindle memories of the catastrophic fire season in the summer of 2019-20.

“This must be an incredibly traumatic experience,” he said. “We’re standing here, we can smell, we can see the impact that these fires are having.”

State fire authorities said conditions eased overnight though several properties were lost and firefighters were working to contain the blaze. 

Reuters