SYDNEY, Feb 7 (AFP) - Intense wildfires raged out of control today as southeastern Australia sweltered through a record heatwave, while floodwaters in the country's sodden north continued to rise.
High winds amid tinderbox conditions fanned more than 50 fires across three states as the once-in-a-century heatwave topped 46 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit).
Three homes, a fire truck and a golf club were destroyed by flames in the Victorian town of Horsham, with homes in seven other townships and major power lines under threat from a large blaze in the Bunyip State Park.
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| A Country Fire Authority (CFA) Sector Commander looks up at a giant fire raging in the Bunyip State Park near Labertouche, some 125 kilometres west of Melbourne. AFP |
“People need to understand that this fire is a particularly serious one,”said the environment department's Stuart Ord, referring to the Bunyip blaze.
Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, recorded its hottest-ever February day, peaking at 46.4 degrees by mid-afternoon, with temperatures soaring above 47 degrees further inland. Scorching heat and wind gusts fed more than 45 fires in New South Wales state, including blazes that threatened several homes in the northern town of Inverell, and in the coastal region of Peats Ridge.
Meanwhile, the country's saturated north was inundated overnight, with 350 millimetres (14 inches) of rain causing flash floods in the town of Innisfail and swelling engorged rivers. “This morning we realised that the waters were beginning to come back again,” said Pino Giandomenico, mayor of the worst-hit town of Ingham.Many people had started cleaning up, believing the waters were receding.
Giandomenico said “it's a bit disheartening and people do get upset.”Treasurer Wayne Swan on Saturday announced emergency relief funding for flood victims, while a commercial jet laden with food and other supplies left Sydney for the waterlogged region.
Much of Queensland state has been declared a disaster zone, with an area of more than one million square kilometres (386,100 square miles) and 3,000 homes affected by floods due to torrential rains.
Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate, or have been stranded in their homes for up to six days. |
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