Emergency crews battle fire and flood across one state
Continued windy conditions and lack of rain will complicate the work of fire crews battling nearly a dozen wildfires.
More than 410,000 hectares of land have burned in Victoria last week after high winds and high temperatures sparked widespread fires and destroyed nearly 900 structures, including 259 homes.
Along with fire conditions easing and winds easing, some relief is also coming with widespread rainfall forecast in the coming days.
But most importantly, the key fire areas of Walwa and Longwood in the state’s north-east are only expected to receive up to 10mm of rain.
Meteorologist Angus Hines said areas are more likely to experience rainfall totals only in the single digits.
“In fact, high winds could cause these fires to reignite,” he said.
The Longwood fire destroyed approximately 137,000 hectares, and the Walwa fire destroyed 100,000 hectares.
Alistair Drayton, of the State Emergency Service, said extenuating circumstances would help firefighters access fire areas.
“There is no guarantee that these rains will put out the fires (but) conditions will allow firefighters to build containers around the fires,” he told AAP.
While the rain was welcomed by authorities fighting the fires, State Control Center spokesman David Nugent also warned that it posed a danger because of the increased chance of trees falling due to strong winds and storms.
By contrast, other parts of the state are just beginning to recover after “unusual” rainfall swelled the river and unexpectedly burst its banks, sweeping dozens of cars out to sea and forcing hundreds of people to seek shelter.
Describing the conflicting conditions as “extraordinary”, Mr Drayton told AAP: “I went from a fire to a flood zone in one day.”
A record 180mm fell on the Wye, Kennett and Cumberland rivers in the Lorne district on Victoria’s south-west coast on Thursday afternoon.
Dramatic video showed cars being pulled by strong currents at the popular tourist spot.
Wye River Country Fire Authority captain Andrew Hack told ABC Radio there was “little warning” that things were about to escalate after moderate rain fell in the area in the morning.
Rescuers were deployed to help people stranded in floodwaters, including a man trapped on a roof in the Cumberland River who was winched to safety by police.
Some people have been trapped in their caravans since the early hours of Thursday evening.
Communities are on high alert as more rainfall is expected in the coming days.
Severe weather conditions have weakened emergency services and prompted volunteer firefighters to demand an investigation into bushfire preparedness.
The government agreed to call for a formal review but said its focus was on rescue and support and that the high-risk fire danger was still ahead.
“Once the risk has reduced, we will call for a formal review of this bushfire season, led by the Inspector General of Emergency Management, not politicians,” a Victorian government spokesman said on Thursday. he said.
The Victorian and federal governments also announced $82 million in funding to repair and restore the state’s roads and public transport infrastructure damaged by the fires.
