Sydney is deluged with rain

A deluge answered the prayers of bush firefighters in Australia and doused a huge fire front close to Sydney.

The heavily-populated Blue Mountains, threatened for two weeks by three blazes stretching hundreds of miles, were soaking wet today after being drenched with 45 millimetres of rain over more than eight hours.

As the rain eased, rural fire services commissioner Phil Koperberg was delighted to announce the Blue Mountain fires were officially out. Fire crews were still on standby in case of spot fires. For the first time since Christmas, residents were able to sleep, knowing they were not going to be forced from their beds by the fires.

New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said he prayed when he heard the rain falling on his home. "I lay awake and I prayed that it got to the Blue Mountains." Praising the firefighters, he added: "To use Winston Churchill's words, 'Never have so many owed so much to so few.' Those few on the frontline have deserved the thanks of all of New South Wales."

However, celebrations were muted because, in a cruel twist of fate, scattered light rain which fell south of Sydney in the Shoalhaven coastal area hampered desperate burning-off operations. Only seven millimetres fell, with just a few drops in some places.

Flames continued to leap above the trees close to Sussex Inlet, where 20 homes were lost last week. Seven hundred residents had to be evacuated from neighbouringcommunities including Bendalong, Berowra and Fishermen's Paradise. One fire hot spot at Kempsey near Newcastle to the north of Sydney received no rain.

Elvis, the water-bombing Erickson Air-Crane helitanker which can drop 9,000 litres of water in seconds, was moved from the Blue Mountains to Shoalhaven. Two other helitankers, the Incredible Hulk and Georgia Peach, arrived in Sydney today from the USA by a Russian air transporter.

The Blue Mountains downpour provided a morale boost to some of the 15,000 full-time and volunteer firefighters as they went into the 15th day of the worst bushfires in Australia's history.

"The rain was an absolute Godsend," said Jeff Medder, a fireman from South Australia.New South Wales rural fire service spokesman John Winter said: "The rain has made a significant difference. But it is like dumping a bucket of water on a camp fire, you still have to make absolutely certain the fire is completely out. This is not the end of it.

"We still have many fires burning throughout New South Wales which still have the potential to destroy homes. Our focus has moved further south."

Animal welfare workers have not seen a single koala which has survived the record-breaking bushfires. They say it could take up to 15 years to rebuild the devastated koala population. Wildlife carers have found many injured possums and baby kangaroos.