Australian bushfires threaten properties, close roads

Australian authorities ordered the evacuation of
some sparsely populated rural areas of New
South Wales on Sunday as bushfires, fanned by
extreme heat and strong winds, raged across the
state, threatening homes and closing roads.
A heat wave on Australia's east coast saw
temperatures hit records in some parts of the
state, creating conditions that officials said were
worse than those preceding Victoria's 2009
"Black Saturday" fires, Australia's worst bush fire
event that killed 173 people.
"This is the worst day we have seen in the
history of New South Wales when it comes to
fire danger ratings and fire conditions," Shane
Fitzsimmons, the state's rural fire chief, told
reporters.
The areas hit by fires are hundreds of kilometers
from Sydney, the state capital.
Fitzsimmons said there were unconfirmed
reports of homes, farm sheds and machinery
being destroyed by fast-moving fires breaking
containment lines.
There were no reports of injuries, but some
firefighters were suffering from heat-related
issues.
By Sunday afternoon, emergency warnings were
issued for five rural areas. People were told to
evacuate if they could, or seek shelter and avoid
bush or grassland where it was too late to leave.
More than 2,000 firefighters, many of them
volunteers, were battling 86 fires across New
South Wales on Sunday afternoon, with 38 of
them not under control.
A 13-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man were
charged on Sunday for allegedly starting fires.
Temperatures climbed above 45 degrees Celsius
in some parts. Dry and hot northwesterly winds
coming from Australia's desert center, some up
to 75 kilometers an hour, were fanning the
bushfires.
A southerly wind change associated with a cold
front was forecast to arrive by early evening, the
Bureau of Meteorology said.
Fitzsimmons said the front would eventually
offer relief, but would create volatile conditions
as it met the northwesterly flow.
Since Friday, heat wave conditions caused
cancellation of major sporting events and put
pressure on the electricity grid.
A paper mill, water treatment operations and
Australia's largest aluminum smelter, Tomago,
were among businesses halting operations to
conserve energy on Friday.