Firefighters fought flames from house to house in northwestern Sydney on Friday as a strong gale whipped up fierce bushfires threatening scores of homes in Australia’s main city. As many as 79 fires continued to burn for a third day through New South Wales state. The body of an 81-year-old man was found in a burned-out caravan, bringing to two the number killed. All night long the firefighters had dashed from house to house, successfully preventing the fires from catching, and as winds gusted up to 60 km per hour. ‘‘It (the fire) is going like a steam engine,’’ said LesSmith, 65, as along with his neighbours he defended his property in the suburb of Berowra Heights. More than 4,000 firefighters and at least 80 water-bombing aircraft have joined the fight against fires that officials say could be far worse than those of last Christmas, when Sydney was ringed by flames, and in fact among the worst in 30 years. (Reuters)
