New fires for blaze-ravaged Sydney

Bush fire-ravaged New South Wales was bracing itself for another flare-up today after weather forecasters warned of a major wind change and at least another week of the hot dry conditions which have devastated so much of Australia's eastern seaboard.

Police also announced a special task force to hunt down the arsonists who deliberately lit at least 40 of the blazes which turned Sydney's outer suburbs into an inferno.

Come daybreak today as many as 400 properties had reportedly been destroyed by an arc of fire which raged from Sydney's north to Shoalhaven in the south. Thousands of people were still housed in emergency accommodation after being evacuated from their homes. At least 12,000 were without power.

Millions more who escaped the flames felt the impact of the bush fires as a thick cloud of smoke hung over the entire city, causing serious problems for those with chest conditions. The number of asthma sufferers calling the Sydney ambulance service more than doubled as a "peasouper-style" haze containing tiny particles of ash clogged the air.

But there was a temporary respite for firefighters today as milder temperatures and lighter winds enabled emergency services workers to begin to contain some of the blazes which have been out of control since Christmas Day. Fire concerns on a number of fronts in Illawarra and Wollongong, south of Sydney, eased with major evacuations looking unlikely. But in Shoalhaven, 400 personnel and 70 units continued to fight the flames around Falls Creek, Huskisson and Tomerong.

Fires continued to burn in the Sutherland area of Sydney's southern suburbs and in the lower slopes of the Blue Mountains where the bush fires came dangerously close to several heavily-populated areas.

Early estimates of the cost of the damage were put at around £20 million.

The federal government promised over £300,000 to a bush fire relief appeal, matching a similar sum pledged by the NSW state government yesterday. Australian prime minister-John Howard said today: "The Commonwealth government stands ready to make all the resources it can available to New South Wales authorities in their efforts to combat the fires."

He added: "My sympathy and that of all Australians goes out to all those affected."

Recriminations have also begun over who should take responsibility for the scale of the fires, which destroyed most of Sydney's Royal National Park. Evacuees who lost their homes in the blaze blamed the National Parks and Wildlife Service for not back-burning the area properly earlier in the year. But a spokesman insisted that its commitment to fire hazard reduction was as strong as ever.

Meanwhile, firemen from Victoria and Queensland have begun to arrive in New South Wales to relieve local firemen who have been on duty almost around the clock for the past three days. Fire Brigades Commissioner Ian MacDougal said his men had faced scenes unlike anything they had experienced.

"The fire conditions of Christmas Day were unique with the fire front moving some 35 miles from the mountains to the coastal regions in one day," he added.

"Another extraordinary characteristic of this fire is that the onset of night time did not bring any respite and firefighters were continuously deployed in direct property protection throughout the night and into this morning." So far no one has been killed and there have been few injuries. However, thousands of wild animals are estimated to have died or been injured. National parks officials say countless koalas, kangaroos, possums, birds and reptiles have been unable to escape the infernos.

With temperatures expected to nudge 40C this weekend and winds likely to increase again, the emergency services fear the devastation of the past few days could be repeated over the next week.

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