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Australian firefighters win reprieve from extreme conditions
Melbourne (AFP) March 3, 2009 Firefighters battling Australia's worst wildfire outbreak had a reprieve Tuesday when predicted extreme conditions gave way to light rain and mild temperatures. While howling winds of up to 125 kilometres (78 miles) an hour swept across scorched areas of Victoria state, fears that firestorms that killed more than 200 people on February 7 would return proved unfounded. The gale force winds whipped up huge dust clouds across the country's drought-hit southeast, making life difficult for more than 4,000 firefighters who have been battling to contain the wildfires for almost a month. But containment lines of up to 60 metres (200 feet) painstakingly carved out around four major fires still burning in Victoria state held the flames in check. A new blaze broke out near Ballarat, about 120 kilometres (75 kilometres) northwest of the state capital Melbourne, prompting urgent warnings to three communities. "Residents ... are advised to patrol their houses to find and put out any burning embers that may be landing," the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advised residents. The CFA also said a grassfire at Chelsea, in Melbourne's southeast, was "definitely due to arson" but did not report any immediate threat to property. Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said early Tuesday that temperatures had not been as high as expected thanks to a light sprinkling of rain across the state in the morning. "So far, the weather gods have smiled on us," he said, adding that there was no room for complacency as the strong winds meant fires could easily flare. Authorities took no chances ahead of the expected extreme weather, sending warning text messages to more than five million mobile phones on Monday warning residents to be on alert. Schools and child care centres in the threatened area were closed and nursing homes evacuated. The wildfires have followed a 13-year drought in southeastern Australia, which has seen less than four millimetres (0.16 inches) of rain in the state capital Melbourne during the first two months of this year. Officials say they will remain a threat until April unless heavy rain falls in the parched region. Related Links Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology
Millions warned as Australia braces for renewed fire threat
Melbourne (AFP) March 2, 2009Australia braced Monday for the worst conditions since firestorms killed 210 people last month, prompting authorities to send warning text messages to the mobile phones of five million people. |
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