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Posted on 01/18/2003 4:14:09 PM PST by blam
Canberra evacuates as bush fires rage
By James Lewis
19 January 2003
A state of emergency was declared around the Australian capital, Canberra, yesterday as the country's worst bush fires in half a century raged out of control on the outskirts of the city, killing at least one person, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
Up to 100 homes were burnt out as hot, dry weather and powerful winds fanned blazes in mountains on three sides of the capital. Canberra's streets were almost deserted, and local radio stations broadcast warnings to more than 30 suburbs that could be in the path of the flames.
Alan Lattak, who lives in the Canberra suburb of Duffy, said his home was lost in the fire and that members of his family were missing. "I've lost my wife and daughter and I can't find them anywhere," he said.
Thousands of people took shelter in three evacuation centres in Canberra. "We have got 1,500 to 2,000 here," said the manager of one of the centres. "We have counsellors, we have support staff running around trying to help people. In a situation like this, it is all hands on deck."
"It's a serious situation," said one fire service chief. "We don't have all the resources collectively to deal with the problem." But he urged residents not to panic, saying: "It is critical that people remain calm and recognise that often the house is the safest place to be."
Residents of the Torrens area of Canberra said the fire had come around the side of Mount Taylor and rushed into the suburb. Peter Lucas-Smith, who was controlling fire crews around Canberra, said there was little his forces could do to battle the blazes in treacherous conditions. "Fortunately they don't come around very often, and you've really got to fall back and look at property protection, and the safety and welfare of your people and the community," he said.
Thousands of firefighters and troops have been brought in across south-eastern Australia to fight fires described as the worst to hit some regions in 50 years. Last year was one of the worst on record, with more than 100 homes and two million acres of bushland destroyed by fires that surrounded Sydney. But many officers believe this year's fires will prove even more destructive.
The Snowy Mountains, about 280 miles south-west of Sydney, have also been hard hit, with about 1,000 tourists evacuated from the Thredbo ski resort. Hundreds more people were evacuated from nearby villages.
Australia is in the grip of a year-long drought that has left 70 per cent of the countryside highly vulnerable to fire. The bush fire season usually runs from December to February, but fires have been burning since the winter month of July. Once fires start, they roar through dry undergrowth and into oil-filled eucalyptus trees, creating infernos that are all but impossible to put out.
Good luck.
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