Australia wildfires: Storms to bring relief but threaten flash flooding and landslides in burnt-out areas

‘Much-needed’ rainfall could help extinguish blazes – but burnt-out areas are at risk of landslides

Severe storms have swept over Australia, providing relief for crews tackling raging wildfires but bringing threats of flash floods, landslides and water pollution.

Forecasters said the “much-needed” downpours could help extinguish some of the 114 blazes across New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria states, where hot and dry weather has helped fuel the country’s worst bushfire season on record.

Some fire-ravaged areas of eastern Australia could see 50mm to 100mm of rain over the next few days, said the country’s Bureau of Meteorology.

“If this rainfall forecast comes to fruition then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed,” tweeted NSW’s rural fire service.

But forecasters warned heavy rain brought the risk of flash flooding and landslides, particularly in burnt-out areas. The downpours could also pollute fresh water supplies if debris is swept into reservoirs.

“This is a day that we are quite concerned about,” said Kevin Parkyn, a senior meteorologist at the bureau. “Thunderstorms are a bit of a double-edged sword. While they can bring some much-needed rain, it can also come down in very fast, high quantities.”

The storm’s strong winds could also increase the risk of falling trees, already weakened by fire, warned Sarah Scully, an extreme weather forecaster with the bureau.

Last week, firefighter Bill Slade, 60, was killed by a falling tree near Omeo, southeastern Victoria. His death was the 28th confirmed fatality linked to the bushfires, which have raged for months.

That death toll has since increased to 29, after Victoria state officials said this week that a fire management contractor killed in a car crash in November was now being classed as a victim of the blazes.

The family of a 19-year-old who died after suffering an asthma attack in Glen Innes, a town in NSW, have also blamed her death on smoke from the wildfires, though preliminary autopsy reports listed her cause of death as unconfirmed.

Hospital admissions have increased in smoke-affected cities, with some patients suffering from asthma for the first time in their lives. The government has responded by distributing 3.5 million free particle-excluding masks, and acting chief medical officer Paul Kelly said there were plans to launch a study of the long-term health implications of the wildfire smoke.

Fire alarms have been sounding in high-rise buildings in Sydney and Melbourne as dense smoke from distant wildfires confuses electronic sensors, while government offices in the capital Canberra have shut because the air inside is too dangerous for civil servants to breathe.

Australian Open organisers delayed the start of tennis matches by two hours on Wednesday as they waited for smoke to clear on the second day of qualifying. Smoke and hazy conditions at Melbourne Park affected the opening day’s play and several players criticised the tournament for allowing matches to go ahead.

More than 2,500 homes have been destroyed by the wildfires, which have razed bushland across an area the size of Bulgaria since September and killed a billion animal including koalas, kangaroos and bats.

“Extraordinary” smoke from the blazes is so extensive it is likely to circle the entire planet and return to Australia’s skies, Nasa said this week.