Temporary drop in temperatures brings relief for Australian fire crews
Up to 30 blazes are still out of control, but a drop in temperature helps contain bushfires
Cooler conditions helped firefighters douse fierce blazes across Australia yesterday but up to 30 still raged out of control, destroying a handful of homes and killing thousands of livestock.
After facing one of the highest-risk fire days in its history on Tuesday, shifting winds in New South Wales caused temperatures to drop significantly.
While the mercury topped 42 degrees Celsius in Sydney on Tuesday, it was 25 degrees yesterday. Victoria's capital Melbourne was down to 20 degrees, although hotter weather was forecast to return by the weekend.
The ratings on many bushfires were downgraded with none now at the "catastrophic" level which signifies fires will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast-moving, with evacuation the only safe option.
But NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned against complacency, with new fronts breaking out despite the colder weather and a total fire ban still in place.
"It is far from over when it comes to the threat to New South Wales," he said in Bookham, a small village in Yass Shire west of Canberra where a fire has so far burnt out 16,000 hectares.
More than 2,000 firefighters worked through the day tackling some 140 blazes across New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, with 30 of those uncontained.