Heavy rain has helped firefighters obtain the upper hand against a bushfire that has ravaged nearly half of the world heritage-listed Fraser Island.
Courtesy of Heavy Rain
According to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the blaze is currently contained, and it is returning management back to the Parks and Wildlife Service.
A spokesperson stated, "But our crews will remain on the ground patrolling to ensure the community remain safe," reported The Epoch Times.
Fraser Island accommodation and campgrounds would have its opening again to tourists on Tuesday, two months and one day since a bushfire sparked by an illegal campfire broke out.
However, the heat remains on the state government and fire service, which did not call in the state's large air tanker until over a month after the blaze ignited.
Days after bushfires alarmed the Australian World Heritage site, thousands were preparing for floods on the subtropical east coast on Sunday. Beaches are closed, and the authorities are persuading people to sandbag their homes.
In the previous 24 hours, with as much as 475 millimeters (18.7 inches) of rain, the Bureau of Meteorology released a "severe weather warning" for the border area between New South Wales and Queensland states, a densely-populated region that has the Queensland state capital, Brisbane.
The bushfire on the globe's largest sand island, off Australia's east coast, ravaged large swathes of the isle's forests prior to ponderous downpours arriving over the weekend.
According to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services on Sunday, "With the help of welcome rainfall and a massive response from crews, the fire is now contained," reported Channel News Asia.
Fraser Island is slated to reopen following days of rain that helped firefighters mitigate the bushfire.
The blaze ravaged over 85,000 hectares of bushland following an illegal campfire in mid-October.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service handed the containment of the bushfire, which blackened over half the island, back to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) on Sunday.
Starting on Tuesday, accommodation providers could welcome customers, access would be granted to the townships, camping spots will open up, and vehicles will be allowed on the eastern beach.
The bushfire on the world's largest sand island devastated large swathes of the isle's forests prior to ponderous rain arriving over the weekend.
Attention has now been focused on the large weather system that brought the direly needed rain, and with it comes the possibility of flooding to an estimated 500 kilometers (300 miles) of the east coast and strong winds.
The fire devastated over 85,000 hectares of vegetation. Water bombers threw nearly three million liters of water and fire-retardant gel on the bushfire amid the nine-week bout, reported Nonperele.
Although the ponderous rain has partly doused the large bushfire, authorities cautioned on Tuesday the danger was not done with dry, hot, and windy weather, possibly to re-fuel flames.
The rainfall halted a long-running heatwave on Fraser Island, helping temper a large fire that has been burning for nearly two months and razing around half the island popular for its tropical inland lakes and rainforest.
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