Queensland floods as southern Australia braces for fire

Brlsbane

QUEENSLAND'S central west has been issued with further flood warnings, while Victoria and South Australia experience "catastrophic" fire conditions.
The weather bureau re-issued warnings in the state's far west as water levels continued to rise at towns such as Windorah, about 310km southwest of Longreach, where it's expected to reach 6.5m today.
Major flooding for the Barcoo River and Cooper Creek caused problems on nearby roads with the creek level rising to 5.25m at 6.25am yesterday.

Pictures: Queensland floods

Windorah is expected to be cut off by road for at least 10 days, with food supplies having to be brought in by boat.
Barcoo Shire Council mayor Bruce Scott said the flooded region was "great news for cattle graziers" but road damage was a major concern.
"It's very slow moving water. It's not causing damage to any fences or properties, but we certainly will have some road damage in the shire," he said.
"The CEO and works manager have been flying over areas today to look at areas that might be a problem, but we're making sure we know the areas that we make safe.
"We've also had a few helicopters that have had to fly around to get people home and look after their animals."
But as Queenslanders battled rising floodwaters, residents in Victoria and South Australia faced extreme fire warnings.
The Wimmera region in Victoria's west has been issued with the first code red fire warning today since the Black Saturday bushfires.
Temperatures are expected to hit 43C with strong northerly winds today.
While Victorians remained on high alert, firefighters mourned the loss of CFA volunteer Hugh Munroe, who was killed in a fire tanker rollover that injured four others in the state's northwest yesterday.
Mr Munroe, 61, was one of the experienced firefighters who battled last year's Black Saturday bushfires.
The truck he was travelling in rolled on Spring Creek Rd at Tatong, near Mansfield, about 185km northwest of Melbourne.
In South Australia, sweltering conditions continued after Adelaide's temperature rose to 43C yesterday.
In southeast Queensland, fine conditions are expected for most of the week, with a top of 31C in Brisbane today.
Showers are not expected in Brisbane until Friday.