Firefighters worked feverishly in the Australian capital today to bolster defences against bushfires that have killed four people and destroyed up to 400 homes in the worst bush fire crisis Canberra has seen.
"The whole philosophy is to surround the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) either with the black that is burned or bulldozer lines," Mr Mike Castle, director of emergency services, told a news conference.
Firefighters fear evening winds will whip up embers from hundreds of smouldering homes in the capital, where temperatures have been forecast to hit 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).
"You've got just about every tree, the whole root system, still smoking... so while the risk is somewhat reduced, we are facing signficant worsening wind conditions," Mr Castle said.
A Reuters photographer said streets of burned-out houses and the shells of vehicles were still smouldering. Melted garden hoses lay strewn like snakes across blackened lawns.
Roofs had caved in and power lines were down, leaving up to 25 per cent of the city without electricity. Emergency officials said it could be days before all power was restored.
Estimated damage could run to hundreds of millions of dollars, with houses alone estimated to account for around A$80 million ($47 million).
Fires were also burning in Victoria state in southeastern Australia and in the north of Sydney where firefighters worked through the night to contain a fire threatening hundreds of homes.
