'Worst fires in a generation' threaten Sydney suburbs
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Your support makes all the difference.Strong winds fanned more than 100 wildfires in eastern Australia yesterday as fresh blazes broke out in bushland on the suburban fringes of Sydney.
Light rain and cooler weather provided a brief respite for firefighters last night, but 30 fires were still burning out of control and forecasters warned that high temperatures would return within days. "These fire conditions are the worst we have had in generations. That is as serious as it gets," said Bob Carr, the Premier of New South Wales, the most populous state.
The bushfire season in Australia usually runs from December to February, but fires – many of them deliberately lit – have been burning since the winter month of July because of a drought affecting 70 per cent of the country.
Last year was one of the worst on record, with more than a hundred homes and two million acres of bushland destroyed by fires that ringed Sydney. Fire officers fear this year could prove even more destructive. Phil Koperberg, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner, said: "This season may well go down as one of those one-in-a-generation-type seasons."
Fires are burning in five states, with New South Wales the worst affected. Five homes and several industrial properties were burnt down over the weekend in Mittagong, south-west of Sydney. A total fire ban has been declared across the state, with many national parks closed to prevent motorists and bush walkers from accidentally starting fires.
Helicopters dropping water bombs backed 3,000 firefighters battling flames across the state yesterday, and crews were sent to new blazes that sprang up in the afternoon. The unexpected drop in temperature and intermittent rain in parts of New South Wales last night helped fire crews to bring the blazes around Sydney under control and extinguish seven smaller fires in rural areas. But the weather forecast is ominous. Mr Carr said: "The state is baking dry and the drought and bushfire season are on us at the same time."
The Deputy Premier, Andrew Refshauge, warned arsonists that they would face the consequences of their actions. "Lighting a fire is against the law," he said. "If anyone dies, we will charge you with murder."
Firefighters will spend the next 48 hours establishing containment lines in preparation for the return of hazardous weather conditions in the middle of this week. The state government has pledged financial assistance for people who lose their homes.
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