Sydney residents welcome rain to douse bushfires

Sydney residents on Friday welcomed the downpour in city seen as the wettest day in months. Intense thunderstorms with heavy rain dampened bushfires on Australia's east coast on Friday and brought relief to farmers battling years of drought, but the city of Melbourne braced for another wave of unhealthy air over the weekend. Australia has been fighting bushfires since September, with fires killing 29 people and millions of animals, and destroying more than 2,500 homes. Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, three of the most affected states by drought and bushfires welcomed the drenching rain this week, with fire services saying the falls will not extinguish all the blazes, but will aid greatly containment.