Severe storms have swept across Queensland, bringing much-needed rain to areas that have been decimated by a fortnight of bushfires.
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At the height of the storm on Tuesday evening, more than 37,000 homes between Rockhampton and Gympie were without power as gale force winds felled trees and damaged roofs.
A few thousand are still waiting for their electricity to be restored.
Further north on the Atherton Tablelands, buildings and cars were damaged by hail.
Coastal and inland areas north of Gympie received widespread rainfalls of between 25 to 50mm, with some areas recording almost 100mm.
Fire crews are on Wednesday morning assessing the impact the rain has had on the 70 fires that are still burning across the state.
All fires are currently contained, and conditions are expected to ease further with more rain and storms forecast during the rest of the week.
Residents who fled Deepwater, Rules Beach, Oyster Creek and Baffle Creek south of Gladstone last week were allowed to go home from midday on Tuesday.
Authorities have warned the fire danger is not yet over, and have asked residents not to become complacent.
Australian Associated Press
