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Journalism of Courage
Australian firefighters appeared to gain the upper hand in battling the main bushfires around Sydney on Sunday, raising some hopes that after a five-day struggle the worst could be over. Cooler weather was forecast for Monday and showers were expected on Tuesday, offering the 4,500 firefighters who have fought to contain the bushfires hope of relief.
‘‘Conditions are easing, but its still going to take a couple of weeks to mop up,’’ said rural fire service spokeswoman Nicole Ingram.
Sydney awoke beneath a thick blanket of acrid, purplish smoke once again on Sunday, with about 70 bushfires burning throughout New South Wales.
Fires at the worst trouble spots in the northern suburb of Berowra, were brought under control and fires at Menai in Sydney’s south, where an arsonist lit the first fires, were also contained, authorities said.
But winds of up to 50 km an hour hit the Shoalhaven, a coastal bushland area around 120 kilometres south of Sydney, whipping fires past containment lines. New flare-ups also occurred in the Blue Mountains, to Sydney’s west, one of them near the holiday resort of Medlow Bath.
The Rural Fire Service said it estimated 48 houses had been destroyed. Assessing the damage has been hampered by the difficulty of identifying homes from other structures, such as caravans, sheds and vehicles, left in the wake of the fires.
The fires have claimed one death, an 81-year-old man living in a caravan.
The cost of fighting the fires was expected to be well over $100 million, Carr said. ‘‘Containment lines (are) holding at this stage but we’re very worried about the wind blowing up strongly,’’ Carr said.
Thousands of firefighters used water bombs and hoses to battle the fires. Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg, a veteran of Sydney bushfire campaigns, said that conducive weather might allow work to start by mid week. Sydney’s bushfires have been spawned by one of the worst droughts in 100 years in the world’s driest continent.
