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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 20, 2003

Australia's Capital in Shock After Wildfire

Hundreds of people began sifting through the charred remains of their homes in Australia's capital on Sunday, after the worst wildfires in the city's history swept through suburbs, killing four people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Nearly 400 houses were destroyed, officials said.


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Hundreds of people began sifting through the charred remains of their homes in Australia's capital on Sunday, after the worst wildfires in the city's history swept through suburbs, killing four people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Nearly 400 houses were destroyed, officials said.

"I have been to a lot of bush fire scenes in Australia ... but this is by far the worst," Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday.

Hospitals treated about 250 people for burns and the effects of smoke from the fires, which swept into Canberra on Saturday.

Many were residents who battled flames with garden hoses and buckets filled from swimming pools. A number of them reported no fire crews in their burning neighborhoods.

Police said a 61-year old man died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his house, and an 83-year-old woman died in her home. A 37-year-old woman was found dead at her burned-out home along with an unidentified body.

Winds eased Sunday, and firefighters said blazes were under control. Workers bulldozed fire breaks around much of the city.

Scorched pine plantations formed a landscape of blackened and skeletal trees. A mist of fine ash blew through the streets and thick smoke hung over the city of about 320,000 people, surrounded by drought-hit farmland and tinder-dry forests.

More than 20% of the city was without power Sunday morning. Conditions were forecast to worsen Monday and Tuesday with temperatures and wind speeds picking up. No rain was forecast for the week.

Most of the fires were sparked a week ago by lightning in a nearby national park. Strong, dry Outback winds and soaring temperatures in Canberra's outer suburbs triggered Saturday's havoc.

More than 1,000 people were still in evacuation centers Sunday and people were warned not to return to their homes because of the danger of more fires and explosions caused by gas leaks.

Australia is in the grip of a yearlong drought that has left much of the countryside parched and vulnerable to fire. Once fires start, they roar through dry undergrowth and into oil-filled eucalyptus trees, creating infernos that are all but impossible to put out.

Source: Agencies






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