Flash flooding is expected through this afternoon in northeastern Victoria, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, as rain drenched parts of the state where as recently as yesterday about 17,000 hectares were ablaze.

First responders overnight rescued a farmer in the area who got trapped after driving through floodwaters, according to Tim Wiebusch, the chief operations officer of Victoria’s state emergency service.

Parts of the state had received up to 150mm of rain, almost eight times the state’s average in September, with more expected today, he said.

“Fortunately, we have seen some rainfall across those two fires,” said Wiebusch.

“But over these next 24, 48 hours flash flooding, riverine flooding, is really the key risk. We can’t emphasise enough, people need to be alert to their conditions.”

The rain comes during an unseasonably dry Australian spring, which began in September. Last month was the driest September on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with rainfall 71% below the 1961-1990 average.

Firefighters are working to contain bushfires in two parts of Victoria state but authorities said there was no immediate threat to residents.

Across the border in New South Wales state, a 5,200-hectare bushfire was out of control near the town of Bermagui, roughly 300km southwest of Sydney.

“I just feel anxious and a bit on edge because we don’t really know yet what’s next,” Sheena Boughen, a resident of a nearby town, told state broadcaster ABC.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on a visit to the area that the severity of the fires would likely bring back memories of the catastrophic fire in the summer of 2019-2020.

“This must be an incredibly traumatic experience,” he said.

“We’re standing here, we can smell, we can see the impact that these fires are having.”

State fire authorities said conditions eased overnight although several properties were lost and firefighters were working to contain the blaze.