Oz fire crisis eases, firefighters warn fight not over

MELBOURNE: Drop in temperature has slightly eased the bushfire crisis in Australia’s New South Wales region on Friday even as firefighters continued to work to contain the blazes which they claimed could take weeks to extinguish.

Rural Fire Services (RFS) spokeswoman said firefighters in the Blue Mountains were taking advantage of cooler temperatures to strengthen containment lines. ‘The threat is continuing to ease but we’re still asking people to be vigilant because there is such a large amount of fires still active,’ the spokeswoman was quoted by the Australian Associated Press as saying.

‘The threat is continuing to ease but we’re still asking people to be vigilant because there is such a large amount of fires still active,’ the spokeswoman said adding, ‘Overnight it has been back burning on most of those fires and patrolling the containment lines, as well as mopping up and blacking out.

‘With the cooler weather we want to strengthen those containment lines.’

A combination of high winds and temperatures on Wednesday had fuelled fears the bush fires burning across a 1,000-mile stretch of New South Wales would spread even farther.

‘But thanks to fire crews’ ‘extraordinary’ work, helped out by some unexpected light rain overnight, the worst of the danger has been avoided,’ said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

Many families living in the Blue Mountains can now return home, he said, although they should be aware that conditions could still change.

Fitzsimmons reported 24 of the 66 active fires are uncontained and raging across a wide swath of Australia’s most populous state destroying at least 193 homes in the Blue Mountains area.

Currently, there has been three ‘Watch and Act’ alerts for blazes burning at Springwood, Mount Victoria and Lithgow which has already burnt through almost 

60,000 hectares of bush 

since last week. agencies