Asia-Pacific News

Jan 22, 2009, 8:28 GMT

Forest fires flare in Australia

Sydney - Houses on Melbourne's forest fringes were under threat from raging bushfires whipped up by strong winds and helped along by high Southern Hemisphere summer temperatures. The flashpoint is the dormitory town of Woodend, where the Country Fire Authority has warned householders to prepare evacuation plans. 'Don't be complacent,' authority spokesman Russell Rees told the national broadcaster ABC. 'The honeymoon is over. The fire season is here amongst us, and we need to work together. Fire literally over people's back fence, fires that appear benign, fires that because of the long run of dry conditions can rapidly develop to proportions where they'll do damage.' In the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, fire crews backed by water-bombing aircraft have been called to 560 fires since Monday - some caused by lightning strikes and some by arsonists. In neighbouring New South Wales, 40-degree heat powered fires in national parks. On the west coast around Perth, crews have been battling forest fires for weeks.

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