Australian firefighters battle worst blazes in 70 years
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sunday December 10, 2:23 PM
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Australian firefighters battle worst blazes in 70 years
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More than 3,000 firefighters are battling to contain some of Australia's
worst wildfires in 70 years, as flames fanned by strong winds threatened
homes in Victoria state.
Victoria's Country Fire Authority reported 14 major fires across the
state, the worst to Melbourne's north-east, where there were fears a
number of fire fronts could merge into a single huge blaze.
The fires, which have burned out more than 200,000 hectares (495,000
acres) of land, have left a pall of smoke over Australia's second
largest city so thick that medical authorities warned people with
respiratory problems to stay indoors.
Firefighters desperately tried to clear scrub from the drought-parched
landscape to starve the flames of fuel but said "ember attacks" caused
by high winds threatened to breach their containment lines.
Military personnel mobilised to help fight the bushfire emergency worked
alongside volunteer civilian fire crews in temperatures exceeding 35
Celsius (95 Fahreheit).
From above, specially-modified planes and helicopters dumped water on
the fires.
Environment department spokesman Stuart Ord said the crews were
stretched trying to contain the fast-moving fire fronts in extreme
conditions.
"The fire will move very quickly and the intensity of the fire will be
very hot," he said.
"There is no doubt the fire will hit settlements, the question is which
ones."
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has compared the bushfire crisis to the
"Black Friday" catastrophe of 1939 in which 71 people died.
So far there has been no loss of life and emergency and property damage
has been minimal, but authorities fear the hot, dry conditions will worsen.
Containment efforts were hampered by a series of arson attacks on the
outskirts of Melbourne early Sunday, creating grassfires that briefly
threatened homes before they were brought under control.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade operations commander Wayne Carlson said it was
distressing that people would deliberately light fires when authorities
already had their hands full coping with natural blazes.
"Members of the public should certainly be vigilant if they see anything
like this," he said.
Prime Minister John Howard said the federal government was ready to
provide additional support to help Victoria cope with the crisis
"Our thoughts are very much with those 3,000 firefighters," Howard told
ABC television.
"If there's any further help that the commonwealth can provide to
Victoria, Mr. Bracks only has to ask.
"When it comes to disasters of this kind, we all work together and do it
very well."