Australia's bushfires have burned more than half the known habitat of 100 threatened plants and animals, including 32 critically endangered species, the government said Monday.

Wildlife experts worry that more than a billion animals have perished in the unprecedented wave of bushfires that have ravaged eastern and southern Australia for months.

Twenty-eight people died in the blazes, which have swept through an area larger than Portugal.

Officials say it will take weeks to assess the exact toll as many fire grounds remain too dangerous to inspect.

But the government's Department of the Environment and Energy on Monday issued a preliminary list of threatened species of plants, animals and insects which have seen more than 10 percent of their known habitat affected.

More than 80 percent of the known or likely habitats of 49 species has fallen within fire zones, while another 65 species have seen 50-80 percent of their distribution areas affected.

Sally Box, the department's Threatened Species Commissioner, said the survey results were just a first step in understanding the potential impact of the bushfires on Australia's wildlife.

"Some species are more vulnerable to fire than others and some areas were more severely burnt than others, so further analysis will be needed before we can fully assess the impact of the fires on the ground," she said.

The threatened species in the path of the fires included 272 plant, 16 mammal, 14 frog, nine bird, seven reptile, four insect, four fish and one spider species, the department said.

Of the 32 critically endangered species impacted by the fires, most were plants though they also included frogs, turtles and three types of bird.

Rainstorms douse bushfires across eastern Australia
Sydney (AFP) Jan 18, 2020 - Rain and thunderstorms doused long-burning bushfires across much of eastern Australia Saturday, but they also brought a new threat of flooding in some areas.

Major bushfires continued to rage in regions of the south and southeast of the country that have so far missed out on the rain, including in wildlife-rich forests on Kangaroo Island off the southern coast.

The fire service in New South Wales (NSW) state, the country's most populous and the hardest hit by the crisis, said 75 fires continued to burn Saturday, down from well over 100 a few days earlier.

"Rain continues to fall across a number of fire grounds," the state's rural fire service said, adding that "benign conditions" of rain and cooler temperatures were helping efforts to contain the remaining blazes.

To the north, Queensland state was hit by severe storms overnight, causing some flash flooding and road closures though no deaths or injuries were reported.

Both states have suffered from one of the longest droughts in modern Australian history and some areas saw more rain Friday and Saturday than had fallen in more than a decade.

Fires continued to burn out of control in southern New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria state, but forecasters expected significant rainfall in those areas Sunday and Monday, raising hopes that some of those blazes could be brought under control as well.

The unprecedented fires, fuelled by climate change and a years-long drought, have claimed 28 lives over the past five months.

They have scorched massive tracts of forest and bushland in eastern and southern Australia, decimated livestock on already barren farms and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

On Kangaroo Island, known as Australia's "Galapagos" for the large number of unique animals and other wildlife endemic to the area, fires continued to rage in a big national park.

The flames have already taken a heavy toll on the island's population of koalas, birds and other endemic marsupial species.

Authorities have warned the crisis could worsen again with Australia only halfway through its summer.

Wiggles frontman has heart attack during bushfire relief concert
Sydney (AFP) Jan 17, 2020 - A founding member of the popular Australian children's music group The Wiggles suffered a heart attack during a reunion concert in Sydney to raise money for victims of the country's unprecedented bushfires, the group said Saturday.

Greg Page collapsed as he walked offstage at the end of the 90-minute show Friday night and was rushed to hospital, where he is in stable condition, the group said on Twitter.

"He has had a procedure and is now recovering in hospital," they wrote. "We appreciate your kind messages and concern".

Page, 48, and the three other original members of the Wiggles reunited for the sold-out, adults-only concert Friday to raise money for the Red Cross and a wildlife rescue group to help victims of the country's months-long bushfire crisis.

A second concert had been planned for Saturday and it was unclear if the remaining members would still perform.

The Wiggles were formed in 1991 and sold millions of albums as one of Australia's most popular music groups.

Page left the group in 2006 due to health problems but reunited with fellow members Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt briefly in 2012 before they disbanded.

Field brought in several new members who continue to perform as the new Wiggles.

News of Page's attack prompted a flood of messages on the group's Twitter account, many from mothers who recounted how important the Wiggles' music had been for their children growing up.

"My kid had a stroke when he was 1 year old. None of the therapists could get him crawling or walking again. He finally started getting mobile because he was determined to get up and dance with the wiggles. My whole family will be praying," read one post.

The bushfires have claimed 28 lives and burned more than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of land.

The blazes across the south and east of the country are also feared to have killed more than a billion animals, including many of Australia's unique marsupials and other wildlife.

Cooler weather and heavy rains across many firegrounds since Thursday have provided badly needed relief, but the danger of new flare-ups remains, with several weeks still left in the southern summer fire season.

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Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology

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Australia to lose billions as bushfires deter tourists
Sydney (AFP) Jan 17, 2020
Australia will lose billions of dollars in tourism revenue as international visitors cancel trips in droves due to bushfires raging across the country, an industry body forecast Friday. The number of travellers booking visits to Australia has fallen 10-20 percent since the fires began in September and the slump will cost the economy an estimated AUS$4.5 billion ($3 billion) this year, the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) said. "International visitors are cancelling because of fears aroun ... read more