Floods and fire in Australia's weather crisis

Heavy rain lashed parts of Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland on Saturday causing flash floods, while wildfires continue to burn in or parts of country.

In south eastern parts of Queensland, up to 300 millimetres of rain fell near Gold Coast cutting major highways and closing me parks, local media reported.

Authorities rescued several people, according to local media.

Bureau of Meteorology's Peter Markworth said rains were a "one in a hundred years" event.

"We saw some one in a hundred-year threshold being met over souast Queensland (state) but at this st that maybe a few locations which saw highest daily rainfall, but it's t very widespre," Markworth said.

Parts of drought-stricken New South Wales were also drenched, with town of Murwillumbah receiving 173 millimetres of rain, causing mir flooding.

Meanwhile, wildfires continue to burn in state of Victoria with an emergency warning issue for a fire burning at French Island.

fires have claimed at least 28 lives since September, destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres), mostly in state of New South Wales.