Arsonists Set Bush Fires, Choke Sydney
Copyright 2001 Associated Press
December 30, 2001
By EMMA TINKLER, Associated Press Writer
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Arsonists set more bush fires Sunday south of Australia's largest city, fueling a haze of gray smoke that diverted jets from the airport, obscured landmarks and triggered alarms in malls and buildings.
Lower-than-predicted temperatures helped firefighters contain hundreds of bush fires raging for a week across Australia's most populous state, but officials refused to say the crisis was over.
They warned that the fires could flare again because forests remain tinder dry and meteorologists still predict the return of dangerously hot weather.
``We're not optimistic about the weather in the next 72 hours,'' New South Wales state fire chief Phil Koperberg said.
Sunday temperatures did not climb above 100 as predicted, but fires continued to burn north, west and south of the city.
For more than a week, about 100 fires - almost half of them deliberately lighted - have destroyed 150 homes and razed hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and farmland. No deaths have been reported, but more than 4,400 people have been evacuated.
Insurance officials estimate damages at more than $25 million.
So far, six people have been arrested for allegedly starting fires. Other arsonists remain at large, police said.
On Sunday, arsonists started five blazes south of Sydney. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr called them acts of ``wickedness.''
The fires sent smoke swirling through downtown streets, shopping malls and office buildings, setting off dozens of fire alarms and prompting worried residents to flood emergency services telephone lines with calls.
Views of Sydney's famous opera house and bridge on its picturesque waterfront also were shrouded in smoke.
With visibility poor, some jetliners were diverted from Sydney Airport and dozens of flights were delayed, although the airport was partially operating.
The most dangerous fires were along the city's southwest boundary and in the Blue Mountains national park, 50 miles west of Sydney.
Firefighters said visibility there was less than 100 yards Sunday, hampering efforts to locate fires in the region's heavily forested and rugged terrain. Firefighters started controlled burns and area residents watered down their houses as protection.
National parks were closed across the state. Wildlife officials estimated that thousands of animals have died or have been injured.
``Larger mammals, such as wallabies, kangaroos and koalas, are most at risk because they cannot move fast enough to escape fire,'' said Julie Barnes, a veterinarian at Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo.
Jill Dark of the Wildlife Information and Rescue Service said many possums and wallabies had been rescued by volunteers and residents.
``It's very distressing for people who find a little possum with all its little whiskers burned off and its paws burned,'' she said.
Nearly 80 percent of the 40,000-acre Royal National Park in Sydney's south is blackened. It is the world's second-oldest national park after Yellowstone.
Wildlife officials said the park would have to be fire-free for at least 10 years to make a full ecological recovery.
Australia's forests are dominated by eucalyptus and other oil-based trees that burn easily but regenerate quickly after fires.