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Australia battles dozens of bush blazes, one dead
Sydney (AFP) Oct 17, 2009 Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday battled dozens of bush blazes across Australia which have left one dead and forced some residents to evacuate their homes. About 600 firemen were fighting to contain more than 50 wildfires in the eastern state of Queensland, while 20 were burning in New South Wales along with more in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. On Friday, one firefighter collapsed and died after helping put out a grass fire on the New South Wales coast. "Firefighters are men and women who are dedicated to saving life and property -- it hits all of us hard when one of our own dies or is injured," New South Wales Fire Brigade commissioner Greg Mullins said in a statement. The blazes, in hot and windy conditions, follow February's Black Saturday disaster when 173 people died in Australia's worst ever bushfire disaster. Residents near Queensland's Mount Archer National Park were told to leave their homes to avoid two major blazes, while aerial water bombing was carried out elsewhere in the state. Motorists were urged to take care on New South Wales' Pacific Highway and in the northern city of Darwin, while firefighters managed to save a number of homes and mango orchards threatened by flames. Another blaze which put houses and properties at risk in the northwestern tourist town of Broome was also brought under control, although fire officials warned it could flare again. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology
National Bushfire Summit Urgently Needed To Protect Australia'S Bush CommunitiesCanberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 18, 2009 The National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) is urgently calling on the Australian Government to convene a national bushfire summit to build a framework for bushfire prevention and management in order to minimize the devastating effects of bushfires on rural communities, industries and economies, saying bushfire management is a matter of national security. "It's time the Australian ... read more |
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