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Officials declared a state of emergency in the Australian Capital Territory of about 400,000 people amid the country's worst bush fire threat in 17 years.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a news conference Friday it's the worst threat since the devastating fires of 2003.
"The combination of extreme heat, wind and a dry landscape will place suburbs in Canberra's south at risk in the coming days," Barr said.
The Orroral Valley fire had grown to nearly 8 percent of the total land mass of the ACT, he said, adding that the fire risk would grow.
"This fire may become very unpredictable," Barr said. "It may become uncontrollable."
A weekend heat wave, along with shifting, gusty winds and low humidity have made the fire difficult to control.
Barr said that the state of emergency would be in place "for as long as Canberra is at risk."
The declaration signals to the community they must prepare "for the worst possible situation," over the weekend, and allows the government to allocate resources to respond, he added.
In an update early Sunday morning the Orroral Valley fire remained at a Watch and Act level bush fire warning as "fire activity eased," though the fire was still out of control and conditions could still get worse.
ACT Emergency Services Agency advised that people in the vicinity of Apollo, Boboyan, Naas and Top Naas roads remain vigilant, and said those who have left the area should stay safe and not return.
A military helicopter landing in Namadgi National Park accidentally ignited the Orroral Valley fire this week and sparked several fires nearby.
A spot fire recently jumped into New South Wales and sparked the Clear Range fire, which is still raging at emergency level in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales, and has destroyed properties in the Bumbalong area, between Bredbo and Michelago.
The Rural Fire Service used 16 water bombing aircraft to fight the Clear Range and Orroral Valley fires.
On Sunday, temperatures were expected to drop from the dangerously high temperatures that have helped the fire spread and winds will not be as strong, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
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Officials declared a state of emergency in the Australian Capital Territory of about 400,000 people amid the country's worst bush fire threat in 17 years.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a news conference Friday it's the worst threat since the devastating fires of 2003.
"The combination of extreme heat, wind and a dry landscape will place suburbs in Canberra's south at risk in the coming days," Barr said.
The Orroral Valley fire had grown to nearly 8 percent of the total land mass of the ACT, he said, adding that the fire risk would grow.
"This fire may become very unpredictable," Barr said. "It may become uncontrollable."
A weekend heat wave, along with shifting, gusty winds and low humidity have made the fire difficult to control.
Barr said that the state of emergency would be in place "for as long as Canberra is at risk."
The declaration signals to the community they must prepare "for the worst possible situation," over the weekend, and allows the government to allocate resources to respond, he added.
In an update early Sunday morning the Orroral Valley fire remained at a Watch and Act level bush fire warning as "fire activity eased," though the fire was still out of control and conditions could still get worse.
ACT Emergency Services Agency advised that people in the vicinity of Apollo, Boboyan, Naas and Top Naas roads remain vigilant, and said those who have left the area should stay safe and not return.
A military helicopter landing in Namadgi National Park accidentally ignited the Orroral Valley fire this week and sparked several fires nearby.
A spot fire recently jumped into New South Wales and sparked the Clear Range fire, which is still raging at emergency level in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales, and has destroyed properties in the Bumbalong area, between Bredbo and Michelago.
The Rural Fire Service used 16 water bombing aircraft to fight the Clear Range and Orroral Valley fires.
On Sunday, temperatures were expected to drop from the dangerously high temperatures that have helped the fire spread and winds will not be as strong, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Join Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
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