Battle against out-of-control Wildfires rages in Australia
Pastor Dale Morgan
Battle against out-of-control Wildfires rages in Australia*
MELBOURNE, Feb 15 (AFP) Feb 15, 2009
Thousands of firefighters were Sunday battling eight blazes burning out
of control in southeastern Australia a week after walls of flame ripped
through rural towns, killing at least 181 people.
Fire authorities said that while cooler temperatures and higher humidity
were helping the battle against wildfires in Victoria state, it would
take weeks to tame the deadly flames that have shattered the lives of
thousands.
"We currently have eight fires listed as going across the state," said
Department of Sustainability and Development spokesman Lee Miezis after
four of the fire fronts merged into one overnight.
"These fires are not yet contained, but thankfully there are no
immediate threat warnings to any communities at the moment," he told
AFP, warning however that the fire danger was far from over.
"We are making good progress in containment efforts in some areas, but
there's a long and difficult road ahead in bringing these fires fully
under control, particularly those in steep and forested areas around
Melbourne.
"We are potentially talking weeks before we have things completely under
control and we are only part-way through our fire season," he said as
around 4,300 firefighters battled blazes that have scorched 395,000
hectares (975,650 acres).
Two firefighters from the neighbouring state of New South Wales were
injured overnight when a tree fell on them as they fought flames near
the town of Alexandra, Miezis said.
The pair were transferred to hospital in Australia's second city
Melbourne for treatment but their injuries were not life threatening.
Meanwhile a contingent of firefighters sent to help tackle the worst
ever wildfire disaster in Australian history arrived in Melbourne on Sunday.
The team join comrades from New Zealand and across Australia who have
spent more than two weeks beating back blazes that rampaged out of
control through small towns in Victoria on February 7, killing at least 181.
Authorities have warned that the death toll will rise to above 200 as
forensic teams sift through the ashes of small communities, some of
which were wiped off the map by the blazes.