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Fraser Island (dpa) - A short break for the fire brigade on Fraser Island: Rainfalls have supported the extinguishing work on the world's largest sand island in Queensland, Australia.
A devastating forest fire that has already destroyed half of the island has raged in the World Heritage site since mid-October.
In the past week, the fire got bigger and stronger again during a sustained heat wave on Australia's east coast, with violent winds added on Monday.
At times the flames had also threatened the village of Happy Valley, but the emergency services managed to direct the fire around the settlement.
«It was a very exciting night.
We had a storm that brought about an inch of rain that made everything wet, ”said Russell Postle, a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Fire Service (RFS), ABC broadcaster.
More rain should fall on the weekend.
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The fire was probably started by an illegal campfire.
Dozens of fire fighters fight the flames from the ground.
They are supported by fire-fighting planes, some of which throw off more than a million liters of water a day.
With a length of 122 kilometers, Fraser Island is the largest sand island on earth.
There is bushland, mangrove swamps and freshwater lakes, and a tropical rainforest grows on the sand.
There is particular concern about this.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201208-99-610543 / 2
ABC report