Canberra fires held but fresh crisis looms

By GREG ANSLEY Australia correspondent

CANBERRA - Hundreds of firefighters, supported by 20 helicopters, were last night holding back two fires threatening the northwestern suburbs of Canberra as the national capital's bushfire crisis burned through its fourth day.

New evacuation centres were prepared for an exodus if the fires broke containment lines and raced across open grassland to the population centres of Belconnen and Gungahlin in a repeat of Saturday's disastrous fires.

However, kinder weather overnight spared the city from further threats and gave firefighters a chance to prepare for forecast horror conditions at the weekend.

The toll of Saturday's inferno, which struck the southwest of the city, was yesterday lifted to 419 homes. Four people died.

In the past two days fires raging in the surrounding region have razed thousands of hectares of farmland, destroyed large numbers of stock, and swept back through heavy bush towards Canberra.

Fears increased late yesterday as temperatures rose to 36C and winds, previously held down by the thick smoke blanketing the city, reached 40km/h by 4pm.

But the expected stronger gusts failed to eventuate, allowing hundreds of firefighters to maintain containment lines about 8km west of the capital.

Some ash and embers fell on northern suburbs during the afternoon, but firefighters managed to keep on top of the small spot fires.

Yesterday flames had reached the banks of the Molonglo River, the last big natural barrier between the fire front and the houses of West Belconnen.

Emergency crews have bulldozed huge firebreaks across the grassland separating the fires from the city, doubling up with a second break in parts in the hope of weakening the flames and slowing their momentum.

About 500 firefighters were battling fires in New South Wales, and a similar force is massed inside the borders of the Australian Capital Territory to defend Canberra.

Late yesterday fire crews were continuing to hold the fires at a safe distance and were hopeful of preventing them reaching the suburbs.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg said the absence of strong winds last night had opened a window of opportunity to quell the fires.

"The northern Canberra suburbs will be spared the impact of fire, and certainly with the advent of better conditions over the next three days those fires will be rounded up."

Firefighters in Victoria's north-east also took advantage of a lull in the weather, strengthening control lines and resuming water bombing of fires, which have consumed 100,000ha of bushland.

But forecast extreme conditions over the Australia Day weekend have fire crews worried.

The ACT has extended its total fire ban until Monday because conditions are expected to deteriorate at the weekend.

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope warned that while spirits were rising, the city was not out of danger.

"These fires are still burning, they are still smouldering and come this weekend, we will be back with those fire levels and anxiety," he said.

Yesterday many residents in Belconnen hosed down their homes, packed cars and prepared to flee. Many stayed home from work and spent the day feverishly fireproofing their properties. So many people cleared their gardens of mulch, leaves and plants that local tips were filled and temporary dumps opened.

The prospect of continued danger at the weekend has also fuelled the angry debate over the scale of Saturday's disaster, recriminations and rebuttals pushing the ACT Government further towards an inquiry.

The ACT Fire Brigade union claimed that problems were compounded because city firefighters were excluded from key meetings, and NSW rural firefighters called in to help said the chain of command had been overwhelmed.

The allegations were angrily denied by ACT officials, and Mr Koperberg said that the effort of firefighters against an "extraordinary event" could not have been bettered.

The debate has now extended into national parks across Australia.

Former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell, now head of the National Association of Forest Industries, yesterday met Prime Minister John Howard to seek an inquiry.

Firefighters battling bushfires raging in Victoria's northeast also took advantage of the lull in the weather.

Better conditions enabled fire crews to strengthen control lines and resume water bombing after heavy smoke halted aerial operations for several days.