HEAT WAVE AND FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21086, 21 January 1932, Page 9

HEAT WAVE AND FIRES.

AUSTRALIAN AREAS SWEPT. VICTORIA UNDER HAZE. MANY ESCAPES FROM FLAMES. By Tolcßrapli—Press Association—Copyright. SYDNEY, Jan. 20. Nature appears to have run l'iot in Australia. While Queensland is suffering from a cyclone and floods, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are in the grip of a heat wave and bush fires. Great' fires are raging in Victoria in • lie forest-covered ranges on the shores of the Southern Ocean and to the north of Melbourne. A dozen gangers raced for life along a mile of railway track to Moo, Gippsland West, with flames many feet high on each side. Groups of men at Upper Bcaconsfield also had narrow escapes when trapped by walls of flames, and many firefighters collapsed. Mr. T. Bourke's home at Bayswater, valued at over £30,000, was destroyed and five children were roscued in the nick of time. A smoke haze as thick as a denso fog hangs ovor the whole State and has extended several miles out to sea. The steamer Mernoo was forced to reduce speed for safety and arrived at Melbourne a day late. The temperature in some places in Victoria rose to 111 degrees. Another hot day was experienced also at Adelaide, where the thermometer registered 107 degrees. Many towns in western New South Wales reported readings of 100 degrees. FLOODS IN QUEENSLAND. HIGHEST FOR 18 YEARS. SUGAR LAND SUBMERGED. (Received January 20, 10.15 p.m.) BRISBANE, Jan. 20. The North Queensland floods have reached the highest level for 13 years. 'Miles of sugar cane land has been submerged. Cairns is isolated except by sea. Business is at a standstill there, and also at Townsville and Innisfail. A girl was drowned near innisfail. Boats are plying at the latter place. The rain has now ceased, but the cyclonic conditions prevail. High winds are ravaging the whole of the northern coast, working down to New South Wales. There were strange scenes at a funeral at Innisfail when the coffin was taken as far as possible by motor lorry and was then transferred to a flatbottomed boat, which men, walking in water up to their armpits, propelled toward the cemetery. Serious damage was caused at Townsville, where the railway bridge over the Elliott River was carried away and washed downstream. Disastrous washouts occurred near Bowen. Several bridges over the Burdekin River were submerged. Eighteen inches of rain fell at Guthhalungra, near Townsville, last night.